LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



Chap.L.__ Copyright No.. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



■^ 





GOVERNOR THEODORE ROOSEVELT 



HISTORY OF IW lORK STATE 



FOR THE USE OP 



HIGH SCHOOLS AND ACADEMIES 



AND FOR 



SUPPLEMENTARY READING 



BY 



WILLIAM EEED PRENTICE, A.M. 




SYRACUSE, IsT. Y. 

C. W. BARDEEN, PUBLISHER 

1900 



Copyright. 1900, by C. W. Eardeen 



37910 



LibPMry mf Congre** 

■"wc CoPtES Recene» 
AUG 23 1900 




^\'? 



SECOND COPY. 

0«<<ver«d t» 

OROtR WVISION, 

AUG ^.7 1900 



EREATA 

The following errors have been corrected in the plates since this first 
edition was printed. 

Page 124, 6th line, foj" Torbay read Tor Bay. 
Page 134, 14th line, for Domine read Dominie. 
24th line, for Iroqouis read Iroquois. 
Page 150, 13th line, for Iroqouis read Iroquois. 
Page 152, 8th line, for DeLancy read DeLancey. 
Page 153, 30th line, for Governeur read Gouverneur. 
Page 197, 28th line, for Livingstone read Livingston. 
Page 215, 9th line, for McDougal read McDougall. 
Page 369, 17th line, for Onondaga read Oneida. 
Page 426, last line, for Thomas C. read Thomas S, 
Page 437, 16th line, for Reubene read Reuben E. 
Page 525, 5th line, for Carey read Gary. 



68758 



PREFACE 



While every citizen should have a general knowledge 
of the history of the State in which he lives, there are 
special reasons why this is true of those who dwell in 
any one of the thirteen original States. Theirs is the 
history of our country, of the formation of our govern- 
ment, of the development of those institutions which 
every American loves. They are the parent States 
from whose union were begotten the whole sisterhood 
of the nation. 

The American can point to no temples hoary with 
age. He has no heritage of storied castles where his 
ancestors " banqueted ", and from which they " rode 
away to the Crusades ". But he is a dweller in a land 
exceedingly rich in the triumphs of a race which, in 
possession of a broad, undeveloped land, with a unique 
destiny before it, has worked out that destiny in its 
own way, giving to the world an example of what may 
be done by a proud people, unfettered by kingly rule. 

In all this New York has borne a most honorable 
and important part. 

Moreover, there is in her case an additional reason 
for the study of State history. Within an area of 
only 49,170 square miles there is a vast foreign-born 
population such as few other States possess. The 
children of these, educated in her free public schools, 

(V) 



vi History of the State of New York 

are entitled to a share in that honorable history which 
in so many native-born families has been handed down 
from father to son from revolutionary times. 

For all these young men and women, whether native 
or foreign-born, future citizens of the State, this 
book has been written, in the hope that it will help 
them to know, and so to love, the great State in which 
it is their good fortune to have a home. 

One embarrassment meets every one who attempts 
to write a brief history of Kew York. The amount of 
material is so vast, and so much of it is of intense 
interest, that it is difl&cult to select. 

It is not easy to draw the line between the record 
of events which are essential and those which are only 
of interest; to follow the golden mean between a dry 
catalogue of facts and dates, and that discussion of 
events which is necessary to a proper understanding of 
their relation ; — in short, to produce a work which shall 
be both of use and of interest. 

Another difficulty has seemed entirely insurmount- 
able, — the rapid appearance and disappearance of Xew 
York's forty-eight English governors, lieutenant- 
governors and " acting governors ", in a period of one 
hundred and eleven years. Many of them seem to 
have left no distinct mark on the colony. In fact few 
of the governors sent over by the English crown served 
any useful purpose here other than as mile-stones 
marking the progress of the people toward independ- 
ence. To leave these governors out of the story of 
New York would be like leaving "Doubting Castle'' 
and "Giant Despair" out of "Pilgrim's Progress". 



Preface vii 

Through the record of the petty doings of these 
men runs like a silver thread the story of the people 
who reverenced law but detested tyranny; who could 
patiently endure privation and want, but rebelled when 
wronged; who over and over again proved their loyalty 
to England, but held their rights as men above all price. 

Nothing places in such grand relief the towering 
intellects of the men whom the colony produced, — men 
who finally guided its fortunes into Statehood, — as 
their comparison with the creatures whom England 
sent over to govern them. 

In the appended list of reference books the teacher 
or general reader will find an invaluable fund of related 
matter, much of it in a most attractive form. 

Brief summaries have been added that pupils may 
be able to distinguish and recall readily the more im- 
portant facts and dates. 

The number of portraits is 182, and includes those 
of all the presidents of the United States and of all 
the elected governors of New York. It is believed that 
to insert these in the text where the individual is most 
prominently mentioned is of considerable importance ; 
and that it is a help to the memory to give with the 
picture the dates of birth and death, and in the case 
of presidents and governors, of official service. Of the 
twelve maps, the four printed in colors are taken by 
permission from the 1900 edition of Northam's Civil 
Government of New York. 



USEFUL BOOKS FOR REFERENCE 



The following may be found in almost any good 
public library. 

Histories of the State of New York by Brodhead, 
Dunlap, Eastman, Ellis, Hendrick, Lossing, Macauley, 
Randall, and Smith. 

Histories of the City of Xew York by Mary L. 
Booth and by Martha J. Lamb. 

American Commonwealth Series, New York, Ellis 
H. Roberts. 

American Conflict, Horace Greeley. 

American Politics, Alexander Johnson. 

Antiquities of New York, E. G. Squire. 

Boundaries of New York, Regents of University. 

Century in Comptroller's Office, James A. Roberts. 

Colonial Laws of New York. 

Colonial History of New York. 

Constitutional History of New York, Edgar A. 
Werner. 

Documentary History of New York. 

History of the American People, McMaster. 

New York Civil List. 

Political History of New York, Jabez D. Hammond. 

(viii) 



CONTENTS 



PAGE 

PREFACE iii 

BOOKS OF REFERENCE vi 

LIST OF GOVERNORS OF NEW YORK vii 

PERIOD I.— BEFORE EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT 

Chapter I. — Aborigines of New York 17 

PERIOD II.— EXPLORATIONS, 1496-1614 

Chapter II. — Explorations 28 

PERIOD III.— UNDER DUTCH GOVERNMENT, 1614- 
1664 

Chapter III.— The Dutch in New York 38 

Chapter IV. — Governor Minuit 45 

Chapter V. — Governor Wouter Van T wilier 56 

Chapter VI. — Governor William Kieft 61 

Chapter VII.— Governor Peter Stiiyvesant, 1647-1664. . 74 

Chapter VIII. — New York in Stuyvesant's time 90 

Chapter IX. — The crime against Holland 97 

PERIOD IV.— UNDER ENGLISH GOVERNMENT, 1664- 

1754 

Chapter X. — New York a ducal province 103 

Chapter XI. — New York once more under the Dutch. .109 

Chapter Xll.^Under the English again 114 

Chapter XIIL— Under the English, 1683-1691 122 

Chapter XIV.— Under the English, 1691-1702 131 

Chapter XV.— Under the English, 1702-1708 .139 

Chapter XVI —Under the English, 1710-1754 147 

Chapter XVII. — The Jesuits and French arms in New 

York 161 

(ix) 



X HiSTOKY OF Xew York State 

Page 
PERIOD v.— THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR, 1754- 
1763 

Chapter XVIII. — A strife for territory 171 

Chapter XIX —Three years of fighting, 1756-1758 178 

Chapter XX.— The last year, 1759 184 

Chapter XXI. — New York at the close of the war, 1760.188 

PERIOD VI.— GROWTH OF REVOLUTIONARY SENTI- 
MENT, 1763-1775 

Chapter XXII. — The stamp act 194 

Chapter XXIII. — The first conflict of the revolution. . .204 

Chapter XXIV.— The tax on tea 209 

Chapter XXV — Continental congresses 215 

PERIOD VII— NEW YORK IN THE REVOLUTION, 

1775-1783 

Chapter XXVI. — Beginning of the struggle 224 

Chapter XXVIL— The war transferred to New York, 

1776 230 

Chapter XXVIII — The first invasion of New York. . .246 

Chapter XXIX.— The constitution of 1777 255 

Chapter XXX.— Burgoyne's invasion, 1777 262 

Chapter XXXI.— A year of trial, 1777-8 279 

Chapter XXXII. — The years of massacres and of 

treason, 1779, 1780 284 

Chapter XXXIII. — Independence achieved 296 

Chapter XXXIV. — New York's share in the revolution . 304 
Chapter XXXV. — Problems of government 309 

PERIOD VIIL— GROWTH OF THE CONSTITUTION, 

1783-1815 

Chapter XXXVI.— Adoption of the constitution 314 

Chapter XXXVII. — The new government 321 

Chapter XXXVIII. — New York makes substantial 

growth 326 

Chapter XXXIX.— The constitutional revision of 1801.838 

Chapter XL. — The first steamboat 345 

Chapter XLI.— The war of 1812 351 



CON^TEN^TS xi 

Page 
PERIOD IX.— NEW YORK IN TIMES OF PEACE, 1815-1861 

Chapter XLII. — The Erie canal 865 

Chapter XLIII.— The constitution of 1821 375 

Chapter XLIV.— Political parties 384 

Chapter XLV.— The panic of 1837 392 

Chapter XLYI. — Growth of an ti -slavery sentiment 398 

Chapter XL VII. — During the Mexican war 404 

Chapter XL VIII. — Prohibitory legislation 411 

Chapter XLIX. — The irrepressible conflict 416 

PERIOD X.— THE CIVIL WAR, 1861-1865 

Chapter L. — First year of the war, 1861 422 

Chapter LI. — The opponents of the Union in control. . .430 

Chapter LII. — Once more under loyal control 436 

PERIOD XI.— THIRTY-FIVE YEARS OF PROGRESS, 
1865-1900 

Chapter LIII. — New York after the war 442 

. Chapter LIV.— Recent events, 1876-1883 451 

Chapter LV.— Recent events, 1884-1893 461 

Chapter LVI.— The constitutional revision of 1894 468 

Chapter LVII.— Recent events, 1894-1898 475 

Chapter LVIII.— Recent events. 1899-1900 483 



Chapter LIX. — Education in New York 489 

Chapter LX. — Four colonial families 501 

Chapter LXI. — Distinguished citizens 506 

Chapter LXII. — New York in literature 522 

Chapter LXIIL— The New York of 1900 229 

Chapter LXIV. — Counties of New York 535 



GOVERNORS OF NEW YORK 



OoLOiTiAL — Dutch Period 

Cornelius Jacobsen May 1624 

William Verhulst 1625 

Peter Minuit May 4, 1626 

Walter (or Wouter) Van T wilier April, 1633 

William Kieft March 28, 1638 

Peter Stuyvesant May 11, 1647 

Ei^GLiSH Period 

Eichard Nicolls Sept. 8, 1664 

Col. Francis Lovelace Aug. 17, 1667 

Anthony Colve (Dutch) Sept. 19, 1673 

Sir Edmund Andros ^t. 10, 1674 

Anthony Brockhollesi Nov. 16, 1677 

Sir Edmund Andros Aug. 7, 1678 

Anthony Brockhollesi Jan. 13, 1681 

Col. Thomas Dongan Aug. 27, 1682 

Sir Edmund Andros Aug. 11, 1688 

Francis Nicholson^ Oct. 9, 1688 

Jacob Leisler June 3, 1689 

Col. Henry Sloughter March 19, 1691 

Maj. Richard Ingoldsby^ July 26, 1691 

Col. Benjamin Fletcher Aug. 30, 1692 

Richard Coote, Earl of Bellomont April 13, 1698 

(xiii) 



xiv History of Xew York State 

John N'anfan^ May 17, 1699 

Earl of Bellomont July 24, 1700 

W. Smith, Eldest Coimcellor present^. ..March 5, 1701 

John Xanfan May 19, 1701 

Edward Hyde, Lord Cornbury May 3, 1702 

John, Lord Lovelace Dec. 18, 1708 

Peter Schuyler^ May 6, 1709 

Richard Ingoldsby^ May 9, 1709 

Peter Schuyler^ May 25, 1709 

Richard Ingoldsby^ June 1, 1709 

Gerardus Beeckman^ April 10, 1710 

Brig. Gen. Robert Hunter June 14, 1710 

Peter Schuyler^ July 21, 1719 

William Burnet Sept. 17, 1720 

John Montgomerie April 15, 1728 

Rip Van Dam^, July 1, 1731 

Col. William Cosby Aug. 1, 1732 

George Clarke^ March 10, 173G 

George Clarke^ Oct. 13, 1736 

Sir George Clinton Sept. 2, 1743 

Sir Danvers Osborn, baronet Oct. 10, 1753 

James De Lancey^ Oct. 12, 1753 

Sir Charles Hardy Sept. 3, 1755 

James De Lancey^ June 3, 1757 

Cadwallader Coldens Ang. 4, 1760 

Cadwallader Golden^ Aug. 8, 1761 

Robert Monckton Oct. 26, 1761 

Cadwallader Golden Nov. 18, 1761 

Robert Monckton June 14, 1762 

Cadwallader Golden^ June 28, 1763 

Sir Henry Moore Nov. 13, 1765 

Cadwallader Golden^ Sept. 12, 1769 



List of Govern^ors xv 

Earl of Dunmore (John Murray) Oct. 19, 1770 

William Tryon July 9, 1771 

Cadwallader Golden^ April 7, 1774 

William Tryon June 28, 1775 

James Eobertson* March 23, 1780 

Andrew Elliott^ April 17, 1783 

The last two served during the occupation of New 
York city by the British. 

PRESIDENTS OE PROVINCIAL CONGRESS OF NEW YORK 

Philip Livingston April 20, 1775 

Peter Van Brugh Livingston May 23, 1775 

Nathaniel Woodhull^ Aug. 28, 1775 

Abraham Yates, Jr. 5 Nov. 2, 1775 

Nathan Woodhull Dec. 6, 1775 

John Harings Dec. 16, 1775 

Abraham Yates, Jr.^ Aug. 10, 1776 

Abraham Yates, Jr.^ Aug. 28, 1776 

Peter B. Livingston Sept. 26, 1776 

Abraham Ten Broeck March 6, 1777 

Leonard Gansevoort^ April 18, 1777 

Pierre Van Cortlandt^ May 14, 1777 

GOVERNORS OF THE STATE 

George Clinton July 30, 1777 

John Jay July 1, 1795 

George Clinton 1801 

Morgan Lewis 1 804 

Daniel D. Tompkins 1807 

John Taylor^ ". March, 1817 

DeWitt Clinton July 1, 1817 

Joseph C. Yates Jan. 1, 1823 

DeWitt Clinton Jan. 1, 1825 



xvi History of New York State 

Xathaniel Pitcher^ Feb. 11, 1828 

Martin Van Buren 1829 

Enos T. Throop^ March 12, 1829 

Enos T. Throop Jan. 1, 1831 

William L. Marcy Jan. 1, 1833 

William H. Seward Jan. 1, 1839 

William C. Bouck Jan. 1, 1843 

Silas Wright Jan. 1, 1845 

John Young Jan. 1, 1847 

Hamilton Fish Jan. 1, 1849 

Washington Hunt Jan. 1, 1851 

Horatio Seymour Jan. 1, 1853 

MyronH. Clark Jan. 1, 1855 

John A. King Jan. 1, 1857 

Edwin D. Morgan Jan. 1, 1859 

Horatio Seymour Jan. 1, 1863 

Keuben E. Fenton Jan. 1, 1865 

John T. Hoffman Jan. 1, 1869 

John Adams Dix Jan. 1, 1873 

Samuel J. Tilden Jan. 1, 1875 

Lucius Eobinson Jan. 1, 1877 

Alonzo B. Cornell Jan. 1, 1880 

Grover Cleveland Jan. 1, 1883 

David B. Hill Jan. 1, 1886 

Roswell P. Flower Jan. 1, 1892 

Levi P. Morton Jan. 1, 1895 

Frank S. Black Jan. 1, 1897 

Theodore Roosevelt Jan. 1, 1899 

1 Commander-in-chief ; ^lieutenant-governor; ^presi- 
dent of council; ^military governor; ^ president pro 
tem; ^ president of council of safety; ^lieutenant- 
governor and acting governor. 



PERIOD I 
BEFORE EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT 



CHAPTER I 

Aborigines of New York 

Xo history of the Empire State can profitably omit 
an account of that remarkable people who were its 
sole inhabitants when the first white man came to our 
shores. They had much to do with the early history 
of our State and nation; they have left their names 
sown broadcast over almost every county in New 
York, while their traditions have inspired much of 
our finest literature. 

The Iroquois. — Interest naturally centers around 
that unique confederacy, or republic, which occupied 
the central portion of the State. How long it had 
existed will never be ascertained, for, until Ohamplain 
penetrated the mountain fastnesses of the American 
Switzerland, it was unknown to the outside world. 
The name, "Iroquois Confederacy" (sometimes 
Huron-Iroquois) was given by the French settlers on 
the St. Lawrence to the confederate tribes of New 
York. They called themselves Ko-no-shi-oni, the 
" Cabin Builders ", also Ho-de-no-sau-nee, " Dwellers 
in Long Houses ". They are often called the "Five 

(17) 



18 The Aborigines [Period I 

>»'ations'\ from the five principal tribes which were 
united in the confederacy: the Mohawks, the Oneidas, 
the Onondagas, the Cayngas, the Senecas. In fact 
there were six nations, as the Tuscaroras, a small kin- 
dred tribe that had at an early day removed to Xorth 
C^arolina, rejoined them in 1712*. 

This confederacy of the five most advanced Indian 
^tribes in the new world was formed solely for mutual 
protection against invasion by the powerful, because 
numerous, Algonquins, who virtually surrounded and 
sought to drive them from their coveted hunting- 
grounds. 

The league was essentially a republic. Merit alone 
could secure office, and that merit was able leadership 
and prowess in battle. 

Each ''nation" was divided into tribes or cantons, 
and from these a council was chosen. The president, 
or grand chief, might come from any tribe in any 
nation. There were fifty permanent sachem chiefs. 
To the Mohawks were allotted nine, to the Oneidas 
nine, to the Onondagas fourteen, to the Cayugas ten, 
to the Senecas eight. The Onondagas were the real 
founders of the confederation f. 

Government. — The military power stood before the 
civil. The army was composed of volunteers, though 
every able-bodied man was a soldier, and any one who 
shirked his duty or failed to face any danger when 
called upon was forever disgraced. Behind the coun- 

*The Tuscaroras did not subsequently maintain dis- 
tinct tribal relations. 

t Hiawatha was an Onondaga ludian. 



To 1500] Location of Tribes 19 

cil of the chiefs was the voice of the soldiery, and 
their consent was necessary before any great enterprise 
could be undertaken. 

The matrons also sat in council, and could veto any 
war measure, yet they tilled the small fields on the 
margins of the lakes and rivers, and did all the drudg- 
ery of the family. 

Slavery was unknown among them, and captives 
might become members of the tribes among which 
they dwelt. 

Location and boundaries.— When first visited by 
Ohamplain, the Iroquois inhabited chiefly the sheltered 
valleys and level uplands of Central New York. Par- 
ticularly did they love the region of the Mohawk valley 
and the lesser lakes. 

The Mohawks lived to the eastward, and were said 
to keep the " eastern door"; the Senecas were at the 
extreme west, and kept the " western door"; while it 
was the duty of the Onondagas to keep the "central 
fire " burning*. 

The territory claimed by the Iroquois may be roughly 
outlined as that embraced between Lake Ontario, the 
St. Lawrence and Adirondacks on the north, the upper 
Hudson and Catskill mountains on the east, the present 
State of Pennsylvania on the south, and Lake Erie 
and the ISiiagara river on the west. Beyond these 
borders, particularly to the westward, they frequently 
carried war, and, but for the coming of the white 
race, it is quite probable that in time their confederacy 

* The seat of the Onondagas is still in the present 
county of Onondaga, eight miles south of Syracuse. 




DISTRIBUTION OF THE LEADING INDIAN TRIBES 



To 1500] Indian Civilization 21 

Avould have embraced the Eries, the Miamis, and 
other western tribes. 

Civilization. — Their civilization was of the primi- 
tive sort usually found among tribes who live by 
the chase. They knew little of agriculture; indeed 
where fish and game were so plentiful, it was hardly 
necessary to till the soil. 

Their dwellings were the rudest kind of huts, their 
cooking utensils limited to a few unbaked clay dishes, 
and their small supply of corn was pounded in stone, 
or even wooden, mortars. 

In all these matters the Iroquois differed little from 
the tribes that surrounded them. These belonged to 
the great Algonquin family, which covered Canada and 
extended along the coast from the Strait of Belle Isle 
to the Savannah river. 

Among these tribes came the French, who, by inter- 
marrying and adopting their customs, soon acquired a 
great influence over them. 

Between the Algonquins and the Iroquois a state of 
continual warfare existed. The forays over the border 
were numerous and bloody, and when the French first 
made an invasion into the Iroquois territory with the 
Algonquins, the seeds of a hatred which bore fruit in 
after years had been sown. From that time the Iro- 
quois held the French in the same bitter dislike that 
they had for the Algonquins. 

The Dutch, aware of this feeling, used it to their 
own advantage, and to this alone is attributable the 
fact that the English were able for so many years to 
hold the Iroquois as allies against the encroachments 
of the French on the north. In this also may be 



'2'2 The Aborigines [Period I 

found the reason for the sufferings of the Jesuit mis- 
sionaries at the hands of the Iroquois and for the small 
results they were able to accomplish. 

Neighboring tribes. — To the Algonquins belonged 
the numerous small tribes with which the Dutch first 
came in contact and against which they finally waged 
a war of extermination. 

Lacking the inter-tribal organization of the Iroquois, 
they fell an easy prey to the rapacity of the traders ; 
and when war finally came they had been so weakened 
by the vices inseparable from the frontier that as a 
disturbing element they soon disappeared entirely. 

Two tribes on the Hudson river, the Mohegans on 
the east and the Mincees on the west, also belonged to 
the Algonquins, but they were united in one thing 
only, — hatred for the Iroquois. 

On Long Island were several tribes, the chief one, 
the Metowacks, dwelling to the west end of the island. 
The Manhattans, a feeble tribe living on Manhattan 
Island, gave to it their name. 

Character of Indians. — -The general character 
of all these Indians, particularly of the Iroquois, has 
been well portrayed by F. S. Eastman in the following 
language : 

" They were quick of apprehension and not wanting 
in genius. At times they were friendly, even courte- 
ous. In council they were distinguished for gravity and 
eloquence, in war for bravery and contempt for danger. 
When provoked to anger they were sullen and retired, 
and when determined upon revenge, no danger could 
deter them, nor absence or time cool them. If cap- 



To 1500] Character of Indians 23 

tured by an enemy, they never asked for life, nor 
would they betray emotions of fear in view of the 
tomahawk or the kindling fagot." 

The Iroquois brave, like all American Indians, was 
a silent, gloomy, unsocial man. He preferred the 
trackless forest to his wigwam. He was superstitious 
and vain. He did not, as is so commonly supposed, 
believe in one Great Spirit; he was not a monotheist; 
he believed in one spirit greater than all others. He 
was a pantheist, and saw and heard his divinities in 
every manifestation of nature about him. With the 
savage courage of the wild beast he combined the 
timidity of the hare. He feared every thing, for all 
he suffered was the work of some enemy. He believed 
in a hereafter, and he peopled it not with those who 
had been his friends and dependents here, not even 
with wife or child, so much as with those creatures 
which had in some way ministered to his necessities. 
His heaven was a " Happy Hunting Ground", where 
roamed the game he loved best to follow; a place 
where the warm sun shone and clear streams flowed 
through green valleys; a place where he should be 
happy because free from cold and hunger. His vanity 
required that the gaudy trinkets he so dearly loved in 
this world should go to his grave with the weapons he 
had needed here. 

The position of the Iroquois, surrounded as they 
were by hostile tribes, undoubtedly drove them to the 
organization which they had developed; while the fer- 
tile soil and prolific hunting grounds of Xew York 
saved them from the frequent ravages of famine that 
decimated other tribes less fortunately situated. 



24 The Aborigixes [Period I 

To the philanthropist it seems particularly un- 
fortunate that the Iroquois, by taking side with the 
English in the Revolutionary struggles were finally 
estranged from the white men who dwelt among them, 
and were thus, in a few years reduced to a bare rem- 
nant; but the student of history observes that only by 
the yielding of a weaker civilization to the stronger, 
because the more advanced, has the Avorld developed 
from the barbarism of the dark ages to the enlighten- 
ment of the nineteenth century. It is the same story, 
old as the world, that the new displaces the old, but 
rarely builds upon it. 

Reservations. — At the close of the Revolution the 
Mohawks removed to Canada, and in 1797 sold all 
their claims for $1,600. The lands of the others were 
gradually purchased and the remnants of the tribes 
located on reservations of which there are now in the 
State seven. The Onondaga (3) reservation contains 
6,100 acres; the Tonawanda-Seneca (2) 8,000 acres; 
the Allegany-Senecas (7) 30,469 acres; the Shinnecock 
(5) 640 acres; the Cattaraugus-Senecas (6) 21,680 
acres; the St. Regis (4) 14,640 acres*; the Tuscaroras 
(1) 6,249 acres. Of the Oneidas remaining a part live 
near Green Bay, Wis., and a part are " guests " of the 
Onondagas and other tribes. The Cayugas are scat- 
tered among the different tribes, the larger part living 
with the Senecas at Cattaraugus. 

The number of Indians in the State in 1890 was 

* These entered the league after the Revolution tak- 
ing the place of the Mohawks. 



To 1500] Reservations 27 

5,133, of whom nearly 3,000 could not speak English. 
They have 12 churches and 30 schools, and they fur- 
nished 162 soldiers and sailors in the War of the 
Rebellion. 

In July, 1898, at the annual Convocation of the 
Regents of the University of Xew York, the very valu- 
able collection of wampums in the possession of the 
Indian chiefs was formally turned over to the State for 
preservation, and will hereafter be carefully preserved 
in the capitol at Albany. 

SUMMARY. — THE ABORIGINES OF NEW YORK 

1. Reasons for interest in. 

2. Tribes in Iroquois Confederation ; origin of name. 

3. Nature of their union. 

4. Location of tribes and character of each. 

5. Their government. 

6. Their dwellings and manner of life. 

7. The Algonquins and lesser tribes. 

8. Relation of each to early colonists. 

9. Character of Indians. 
10. Indian reservations. 



PERIOD II 



CHAPTER II 
Explorations, 1496-1614 

Europe's interest in the new world. — AVhile 
other nations had heard of, half believed, but hesitated, 
to Spain must be given the supreme honor of being 
the first to accept and act upon the magnificent con- 
ceptions of Columbus. 

Portugal, from having discovered and explored the 
Azores, claimed everything to the west of them. Ac- 
cording to the custom of the times the dispute was 
referred to the Pope, and Alexander VI very benevo- 
lently gave to Spain "all those heathen lands found 
or to be discovered to the westward of a meridian one 
hundred leagues westward of the Azores ". The news 
of the great discovery, the interest created by the 
controversy over it, aroused the maritime spirit of all 
Europe. The grandiloquent Spaniard was not to be 
left in undisputed possession of one-half the earth. 
The Pope's decision bound no one, and English, Dutch, 
Spanish, and French were soon in violent competition 
for the empire of the west. 

Voyages of the Cabots^ 1496. — On the 5th of 
May, 1490, Henry VII of England commissioned John 
Cabot, a Venetian, to carry the English flag and make 
explorations in the Atlantic and Indian oceans, and to 

(28) 



1496-1498] The Cabots 29 

take possession of all lands, whether islands or conti- 
nents, discovered in the name of Great Britain. John 
Cabot was well qualified for the great work entrusted 
to him. 

On the •24th of June (1496), Cabot first saw the 
gloomy headlands of Labrador, and this was the actual 
discovery of the x\merican continent. He explored 
the coast for several hundred miles, saw no inhabitants, 
but went ashore and, taking yjossession in the name of 
the king of England, he raised, side by side, the flags 
of England and Venice *. 

Like Columbus, he supposed he had reached the 
shores of Asia. John Cabot returned to England, and 
was honored for his enterprise, but beyond this we 
know nothing of him. 

Sebastian Cabot^ 1498.— The next record of Eng- 
lish discovery speaks of Se- 
bastian, the second son of 
John Cabot, who, in 1498, 
with a squadron of well 
armed vessels followed the 
course of his father. West 
of Greenland he encountered 
ice and turned his course to 
the south. He traced the 
shores of the New England 
Sebastian cakot. 1477-1557 ^^^^ Middle States and Sailed 

as far as Cape Hatteras, from which point he began his 
homeward voyage. 

The voyages of the Cabots were later supplemented 




* This was more than one year before Columbus saw 
the mainland of South America. 



30 



Explorations 



[Period II 




by those of Frobisher, Sir 
Francis Drake, Sir Walter 
Raleigh and others. n 
these voyages and discoveries 
England based her claim to 
territory in America. In the 
charters she granted, in the 
colonies she sent out, and 
in her disputes with other 
nations, England steadfastly 
siK kkanc IS Drake, 1540-159H maintained her right to all 
the mainland as the result of these explorations. 
Terrazaiio, 15*24. — In 1524 Francis I of France, 
not ignorant of the impor- 
tance of giving attention to 
the regions in the newly dis- 
covered west, engaged Ver- 
razano, a native of Florence, 
Italy, to explore on his be- 
half. Somewhere near Cape 
Hatteras, it is claimed that 
Verrazano sighted land. He 
then turned to the north and, 
on his way, entered Xew York 
GIOVANNI DA vkhkazano. i48()-io27 i^arbor and ascended the Hud- 
son. Returning, he coasted along the southern shore of 
Long Island, saw Block Island, which he called Claudia, 
in honor of the king's mother, and subsequently entered 
the harbor of Newport. 

Discredit has very frequently been cast upon Ver- 
razano's claims. The only account of his voyage was 
written by his brother in 1529 in a letter to Francis I. 
It was accompanied by a map, and was preserved for 
many vears at Rome. 




1524-1009] Champlain; Hudson 31 

Jacques Cartier^ 1584. — Ten years later, Jacques 
Cartier, also under French orders, while in search of 
a passage to India and Cathay entered St. Lawrence 
gulf and river. He sailed up the river, passed the 
heights on which Quebec noAV stands, then westward 
and southward till the rapids barred his further prog- 
ress toward Cathay. A steep hill on the nortnern 
bank Cartier named Mount Koyal, and at its base has 
grown the city of Montreal (Mont- Real.) 

Our interest in Cartier and his voyages of explora- 
tion must centre in the fact that he was the pioneer in 
jN"ew France, — a region from which our State subse- 
quently suffered many depredations. 

Champlaiii and Hudson^ 1609. — It is fortunate 
that the names of two men who visited our shores at 
about the same period have been permanently recorded 
in the history and geography of New York. Their 
discoveries are worthy of the immortality their names 
have secured. Lake Champlain and the Hudson river! 
Unrivalled in beauty, associated with every chapter of 
our early history, they remain perpetual reminders of 
the men whose enterprise first made our State known 
to the outside world. 

Samuel de Champlain, an eminent French navi- 
gator, was commissioned to 
explore and prepare the way 
for a colony on the banks of 

^iiT*^ ^'^"^SL the St. Lawrence. He landed 

at the present site of Quebec 
in 1603. In order to secure 
the friendship of Canadian 
Indians he, with a few other 
Frenchmen, joined them in 

Samuel de Champlain. 1567-1635 1609 in an expedition against 




1)2 Explorations [Period II 

tlie Huroii-Iroquois Confederacy. From the St. Law- 
rence they ascended the Sorel river to the " Lake of 
the Iroquois" (Lake Champhiin). They met the Iro- 
quois between Crown Point and Lake George, where 
the fire arms in the hands of the French won an easy 
victory for the invaders. 

Later, with a party of Frenchmen, Champlain en- 
tered into an alliance with these Canadian Indians 
against the Iroquois. They penetrated well into the 
interior of Xew York and a battle was fought in the 
vicinity of Syracuse, in which Champlain was wounded, 
defeated and compelled to retreat. He is often called 
" The Father of Xew France " (Canada), and his pub- 
lished account of his exj^lorations did much to attract 
settlers to the future State of Xew York. 

Through Champlaiu's influence a party of Francis- 
can friars came to Canada in 1615 and began their 
work among the 'Indians. These were followed in 
1()25 by some Jesuit Fathers, and before the middle 
of that century these brave, self-sacrificing men had 
planted missions all about the lakes, and had even 
made their way to the Onondaga salt springs, — the 
first white men to visit that part of our State. 

Following in the steps of the missionaries, Marquette 
and Joliet skirted our State in 1672, on their way to 
search for " The Great River of the West", of which 
they had heard through the Indians; and in 1679 La 
Salle, then commander of Fort Frontenac (Kingston), 
set out to secure possession of the Mississippi country 
for the king of France. 




1603-1609] Hendrick Hudson 33 

Hendrick Hudson was an English navigator. In the 
service of a company of Eng- 
lish merchants he had made 
two voyages in search of a 
shorter passage to China, 
with the usual results. Still 
believing the problem could 
be solved, he went to Hol- 
land and ofPered his services 
to the Dutch, then the most 
enterprising maritime power 

Here he obtained command of a small vessel, the 
Half Mootr^, was furnished with a crew, half English, 
half Dutch, and in the month of April, 1609, again 
set out, this time from Amsterdam, commissioned to 
explore a passage to China by the north-east or the 
north-west. He first sailed to the north-east and, after 
a stormy voyage, in May reached the Cape of Xorway, 
where he found the sea so full of ice that his crew 
compelled him to turn to the west. It was July when 
his battered vessel reached the banks of Newfoundland, 
where he was for a time becalmed. Then sailing still 
to the west he came at last to Penobscot Bay. Con- 
tinuing to the south and west, early in September 
Hudson entered New York Bay. 

No vision of the empire to which this was the gateway 
ever dawned upon his mind. No voyager had as yet com- 
prehended the vast area of the American continent, 
and doubtless anyone of them would have bartered all 

* For picture of this, see Hendrick's Brief History, 
page 12. 



34 



EXPLORATIOXS 



[Period II 



his discoveries for a narrow channel to the Pacific. 
In September the vohime of water in the Hndson 
river is so very small it seems a 
tide- water channel, and no doubt 
to Hudson it appeared the long- 
sought-for passage. He sailed 
up the river until its fresher, 
shoaling waters showed him his 
mistake, and in the vicinity of the 
site of Albany he turned back, 

x4.gain past the beautiful Cats- 
kills, through the Highlands, 
over the charming Tappan Zee, 
by the castellated Palisades, and 
out the Xarrows, Hudson sailed, 
never again to behold what he 
well called " The fairest land the 
foot of man ever trod*". 

On the fourth of October, 
1609, Hudson set sail for Hol- 
land. Pride in his discoveries 
led him to stop and report them 
in England. His ship was al- 
lowed to proceed, but Hudson, 
himself, was detained by royal order, virtually a pris- 

* It is interesting to remember that at this time 
Champlain was only a hundred miles away in the for- 
ests to the northward ; that neither was aware, perhaps 
never knew of the presence of the other and yet; on 
the explorations of these two men rival nations were 
destined in after years to claim the territory embraced 
within the State. 




1609-1612] Dutch Enterprise 35 

oner. His tragic death a few years later at the hands 
of a mutinous crew in the frozen bay which he also 
discovered, has helped to immortalize his name. 

Dutch enterprise, 1609. — In this same year (1609) 
Holland had achieved independence and taken her 
place among the sovereign States of Europe. 

For the first time in her history she had been allowed 
by Spain the free navigation of the seas and the privi- 
lege of trade with India. This gave a fresh impulse 
to Dutch commerce, and soon trading ships began to 
visit the lands discovered by Hudson. 

In 1610 a Dutch ship, manned by some of the sailors 
who in the Half Moon had visited the " River of the 
Mountains '', was on its way across the Atlantic, laden 
with trinkets for trade with the Indians. Their trip 
was successful, and in 1611 Hendrick Christiaensen 
and Adrian Block made the same voyage, bringing 
back with them two young Indian chiefs. The suc- 
cess of this venture emboldened three wealthy mer- 
chants of the city of Amsterdam to make a further 
venture, and in 1612, two other ships. The Fortune and 
The Tiger, were fitted out and entrusted to Chris- 
tiaensen and Block for the continuation of this profit- 
able traffic on the "Mauritius" river, as the Hudson 
then began to be called. 

Block's ship. The Tiger, was unfortunately burned. 
This made it necessary for him to remain over winter 
to build a new one, which he was able to do from the 
timber found on the island of Manhattan *. 

* It is customary to date the settlement of New 
York from this year (1612), when, to protect his sailors 



30 Explorations [Period II 

Block's explorations. — In the spring of ie;i3, in 
this ship, which he named The Onred (The Restless), 
Block proceeded to explore to the eastward. With his 
small vessel he was able to pass through Helle-gat 
(Hellgate) into Long Island Sound. Here he explored 
the shores and inlets and discovered the Connecticut, 
which from that day was called East River. Later he 
visited I^arragansett Bay and gave his name to Block 
Island. 

Proceeding to Cape Cod, Block fell in with Chris- 
tiaensen, and returned to Holland in The Fortune^ leav- 
ing his own ship in charge of Christiaensen's brother, 
Cornelius. The return of these two now famous 
navigators still further stimulated a spirit of adventure, 
and in the spring of 1614 many ships visited the new 
trading posts established about Xew York Bay. In 
small sloops the adventurous traders penetrated every 
creek and bay, and carried on a profitable traffic with 
the natives. 

Christiaensen builds Fort Nassau^ 161-t. — In 

this year (1614) Christiaensen ascended the " Mauri- 
tius " to a point a little below the present site of Al- 
bany, where the Indian trail from the west struck the 
river. Here on Castle Island, as a protection for his 
men and a storehouse for merchandise, he built a small 
fort which he called Fort Xassau *. 



from the cold. Block built huts on the southern point 
of Manhattan Island. This was but temporary, and 
when the OmrPd was ready for sea the hut'' were 
abandoned. 

*The fort was injured in a flood soon after and was 
abandoned. 



1613-1614] Summary 37 

summary — explorations 

1. Portugal; Spain; the Pope, and the Azores. 

2. Object of explorations of that period. 

3. England and the Cabots. Frobisher; Drake; 
Raleigh. 

4. Verazzano; Cortier; Champlain. 

5. Henry Hudson. His voyages and discoveres. 
Importance of. 

6. Marquette and Joliet. 

7. Claims of England, France, and Holland; ground 
and justice of each. 

8. Dutch traders. Block. The first ship built in 
Xew York. 

9. Explorations to the eastward. 
10. Christiaensen. Fort Xassau. 



PERIOD III 
UNDER DUTCH GOVERNMENT 



CHAPTER III 
The Dutch in Xew York, 1614-1G26 

Dutch trade. — AVhat had been accomplished thus 
far was the result of private enterprise, entirely for 
commercial purposes. Xo governmental sanction had, 
as yet, been given to the undertaking, no national grant 
or charter or recognition lay behind the movement. 
The profits from the trade with the natives were enor- 
mous, and the search for a shorter passage to the Indies 
was soon forgotten in the prosecution of the new 
industry. 

The number of ships annually visiting the trading 
posts was increasing. Monopolies are not a modern 
invention, and the time soon came when one company 
wished to appropriate to itself the benefits from this 
profitable traffic. 

First charter from the states-general. — In l(il4 
the states-general^ (Dutch Eepublic) granted to an 
Amsterdam company, for three years, the exclusive 

'^Extract from " Resolution of the states-general (of 
the United Xetherlands) on the Report of the Dis- 
covery of Xew Xetherlands." 

" Saturday, the 11th of October, appeared before 
the Assembly, the Deputies from the United Company 

(38) 



1614-1617] First Charter and Treaty 39 

privilege " to fre(][uent the newly discovered lands lying 
between ^ew France (Canada) and Virginia (the Eng- 
lish colony)." 

New Netherland.— This charter, the first formally 
to define the Dntch possessions in America, consti- 
tuted a distinct claim to the territory described, and 
was the first to designate it by the term " ^ew Nether- 
land". It was, however, superseded in 1621 by a 
more distinct charter granted to the Dutch West India 
Company, a company which, to all intents, ruled Xew 
Xetherland until the coming of the English in 1664. 

The treaty of Tawasentha^ 1617.— In the year 
1617 the trading post on Castle Island (Fort Xassau) 
was abandoned, and a more advantageous location was 
found at the mouth of Norman's Kill, — in the lan- 
guage of the Mohawks " The Tawasentha ". Here on 
the bluff now covered by the city of Albany a new 
trading post was established, and here in that year 
(1617) was made the first formal treaty with the Iro- 
quois, — a treaty renewed by Kieft in 1645 and observed 
by both Dutch and English until the Revolution. 

of Merchants who have discovered and found New 
Netherlands, situate in America, between New France 
and Virginia, the sea-coasts whereof lie in the Latitude 
of forty to forty-five degrees. And who ordered a Re- 
port of their said Discovery and finding, requesting, 
in consequence, the Grant promised by their High 
Mightinesses' published placard. 

" Deliberation being had thereon, their High Mighti- 
nesses have granted and allowed, and hereby grant and 
allow, the Petition that they alone shall have the right 
to resort to or cause to be frequented, the aforesaid 
newly discovered countries situate, etc., etc." — N. Y. 
Col Doc. I, JO. 



4(» Dutch Rights to the Territory [Period III 

Eepresentatives from all the Iroquois tribes were 
present ; and with them were delegates from the Mohi- 
cans, the Mincees, and the Lenni-Lenapes *. Here, 
"in the vale of Tawasentha", the pipe of peace was 
smoked and a tomahawk buried in soil over which the 
Dutch promised to build a church " so that none 
might dig it up again." 

In making this treaty the Dutch were wiser than 
they knew. Their thought was chiefly with reference 
to a profitable trade, but as these Indians were sup- 
plied with fire arms, they subsequently proved of im- 
mense advantage as allies against the aggressions of the 
French on the north. 

The Dutch rights.— The Dutch did not fail to 
understand that their claims in the new world would 
be disputed. 

The French were in possession of the St. Lawrence 
and all the region about the great lakes. The English 
had now (1620) planted settlements at Plymouth and 
Jamestown, and for nearly one hundred years Spain 
had been in undisputed possession of all the shores 
and islands about the Gulf of Mexico; but no one had 
entered upon the region discovered by the Dutch, and 
of which they had taken formal possession. They 
were aware of the charter granted to the Plymouth 
Company in 1606, and they knew that it covered the 
whole of Xew Xetherland from the Connecticut to the 
Delaware river. 

Sir Ferdiiiaiido Gorges and Dernier. — In 1619 
an event occurred which still further endangered the 

* These were subjugate tribes and held to be a 
" nation of women ". 



l(ilT-l«J*2U] ClAI.MS of SlK FiRDTXANDO (xORGES 11 

Dutch possessions. During that year Captain Thomas 
Dermer, employed by Sir Ferdinando Gorges, set sail 
in a small pinnace from Kennebec, Me., for Virginia. 

Sailing through Long Island Sound he entered Xew 
York Bay. Meeting here some Dutch traders, he in- 
formed them that they were " trespassing " on English 
territory, and "forbade them'', as Gorges reported, 
" to trade or settle in those parts.'' On reaching Eng- 
land, Dermer reported what he had done, and boldly laid 
claim to being the first to have passed through the 
Sound. On the strength of this, Gorges petitioned 
the king that the territory " discovered '" might be 
called " Xew England '", and asked that " the bound- 
aries be settled from forty to forty-five degrees of 
north latitude and from sea to sea." 

In 1620 this prayer was granted, and a '' council " 
of forty (including Gorges), called the " Council of 
Plymouth ", was appointed " for the planting, ruling 
and governing of Xew England.'' All this was done 
notwithstanding the French and Dutch had for some 
years been in undisputed possession of much of this 
territory. The powers granted to this council were so 
vast that they excited the suspicions even of parliament. 

By the conditions of this grant not a ship could 
enter a port from Xewfoundland to Philadelphia, not 
an immigrant could land, not a pelt be purchased of an 
Indian except by consent of this company. Parlia- 
ment ordered an inquiry, but the king stood by the 
charter. 

The British ministry brought the matter to the at- 
tention of the states-general, demanding that the West 
India Company " vacate these possessions." 

To this order no attention was paid. The Dutch 



4-i First Permaxext Settlement [Period III 

continued to ply their trade from the Connecticut to 
the Delaware and for a number of years the claim was 
not pressed. 

The Walloons. — Until 162o there had been no per- 
manent settlements established. All who had come 
were traders. They had lived in huts clustered about 
the trading posts on Manhattan Island and at Albany. 
They did not clear the forest nor till the soil, nor did 
they bring their families, but they expected one and 
all to return to Holland. It was soon found desirable 
to establish a colony of agriculturists, who could pro- 
duce the food now procured from the Indians or brought 
.across the ocean. Fortunately there was a people 
anxious to come. These were the Walloons. They 
had originally come from the southern provinces of 
Belgium. When the northern provinces of the United 
Netherlands had formed their union in 1597, the Wal- 
loons had declined to join the confederation. 

These people were of French extraction, and spoke 
the French language. Some of them were Protes- 
tants, and as they found themselves the subjects of 
most bitter and unrelenting persecution from the 
Spaniards they had removed to Holland. They were 
mainly artisans, and proved a most valuable accession 
to the population of that country, much of the fame 
of Dutch manufactures being due to their skill. 

They had asked permission to settle in A'irginia but 
this request the English had denied; and when the 
West India Company invited them to locate in Xew 
Xetherland they gladly accepted. 

In the spring of 1623, thirty families, 110 souls, 
arrived at Xew Amsterdam. They w^ere a hardy, in- 



1623] Governor May .43 

dustrious, virtuous people. It would have been difficult 
to find in all Europe a better class of settlers for that 
time. 

The Dutch West India Company, never generous, 
neither gave nor sold them lands ; they became tenants, 
very nearly servants, but they remained in the colony, 
a most desirable nucleus for the future State. 

Their names still linger among the best families on 
Long Island, and Brenckelen (Brooklyn), Waalboght 
(Wallabout), and other towns to this day remind us of 
these first permanent settlers. 

With the Walloons came Cornelius Jacobson May as 
"commander"*. He was to remain as first "gover- 
nor" or "director" with Adriaen Joris as second in 
command. The settlers were scattered to different 
points as pleased the directors of the company. A 
few families went to South River (Delaware) ; eighteen 
families in charge of Joris were sent up the Hudson 
to the present site of Albany and built Fort Orange ; 
a few settled on the west shore of Long Island at a 
point which they called Waalboght (Wallabout). 

Administration of Oovernor May^ 1628.— May's 

administration was brief but efficient. On the very 
day of his arrival, he found in the harbor a French 
ship whose captain was about to set up the arms of 
France and claim the country for his king. May drove 
him out and followed him to the Delaware, where he 
attempted the same ceremony. May again sent him 

* May had made his first voyage to these shores in 
1613 in command of The Fortune^ and Cape May bears 
his name. 



44 Governor Verhulst [Period III 

to sea, after which May built on the Delaware a small 
log fort which he named Fort Kassau *. 

This incident showed plainly that the French would 
not without a struggle abandon their claim to the ter- 
ritory of Xew Xetheriand. After serving one year, 
Governor May was succeeded by AVilliam Verhulst as 
second director of Xew Xetherland, who also served 
one year. He was followed by Peter Minuit, who 
arriA'ed in January, 1626 f . 

SUMMARY — TBE DUTCH IN XEW YORK 

1. The first voyages to Xew York. 

2. The first Dutch charter, 1614. Xature of. 

3. Name Isew Xetherland. 

4. The second charter and the Dutch West India 
Company. Privileges granted. 

5. Treaty of Tawasentha, 1617. Value of. 

6. French, English, Dutch, and Spanish claims. 

7. The Plymouth charter, 1606. 

8. Sir Ferdinando Gorges, 1609. Thomas Dernier. 
Voyage of and report made. 

9. The Council of Plymouth; its claim. 

10. The Walloons, 1623. Origin, character and set- 
tlement. 

11. Governor May. 

12. Joris and Fort Orange. 

13. The French in Xew York Bay and on the Dela- 
ware. 

14. Fort Nassau on the Delaware. 

* Fort Nassau on the Hudson had been abandoned. 

t Minuit is commonly, but erroneously called the 
first governor of New Netherland. He found a popu- 
lation of about two hundred people. 



CHAPTER IV 
GoYERN^OR Peter Minutt, 1G2G-1632 

First form of goyernmeiit. — To assist Mmuit in 
his administration there was appointed a "council" 
of five men, besides a " koopman ", or commissary and 
secretary, and a " sellout ", or sheriff. 

This was the first form of government within the 
boundaries of our State, for Minuit and his council 
were invested with legislative, judicial, and executive 
power, subject only to the " chamber of deputies" at 
Amsterdam. 

One of Minuit 's first acts was an effort towards hon- 
est dealing with the natives. The Dutch had until 
this time held Manhattan Island only by the right of 
discovery and occupancy. Minuit proceeded to make 
a treaty for its purchase. The island contained about 
22,000 acres, and the price agreed, sixty guilders 
(twenty-four dollars), was paid in such trinkets as the 
Indians desired, — beads, rings, and knives being in 
special request*. 

Fort Amsterdam. — Minuit now began the con- 
struction of a fort, — a block house surrounded by a 
palisade of cedar posts, which was known as Fort Am- 
sterdam. The settlement which soon grew up around 
this was called " Manhattan". 

-'-See picture of this purchase in Ilendrick's History, 
page 18. 

(45) 



46 Governor Mi n lit [Period HI 

Staten Island was also purchased of the Indians, and 
soon the western shore of Long Island* was dotted 
with the farms which the Walloons had cleared and 
cultivated, and from which specimens of the harvest 
were sent to Holland to show the fertility of the soil. 

In the first year of Minuit's administration (1G26), 
an event occurred which for a time vacated the settle- 
ment about Fort Orange, and came very near inter- 
rupting the peaceful relations which existed between 
the Dutch and the Iroquois. In a stockade village on 
the east bank of the Hudson, just above Fort Orange, 
dwelt the Mohicans. They had been parties to the 
treaty of Tawasentha, and since that time only had 
lived in peace with the Mohawks at the west. Xow 
this treaty was broken, and the two tribes were at war. 
The fort was in charge of one Daniel Van Krucke- 
beeck. He foolishly consented to accompany the 
Mohicans on an incursion into the territory of the 
Mohawks. The party was caught by the latter in am- 
bush and defeated, and Kruckebeeck and three of his 
men were killed. Fearful of the results of this in- 
considerate act, Minuit removed all the families from 
Fort Orange to Manhattan, leaving only a garrison of 
sixteen men. So great was the distrust that many 
other detached settlements on the Hudson were 
abandoned. 

The Dutch and the Puritans. — Very early in the 
history of Xew Xetherland, the Dutch had pushed 
their trading ventures not only southward to Delaware 
Bay, but eastward through Long Island Sound to the 
Connecticut river, and even as far as Xarragansett 

* This was the beginning of Brooklyn. 



1626] Relations with the Puritans 47 

Bay. Here they were destined to come into contact 
with the Puritans, to whom they were bound by many 
ties of friendship. 

On leaving England, the Puritans had settled in 
Holland, and had remained there twelve years, this 
residence being entirely satisfactory to the Dutch. 
Furthermore, when the Puritans at last contemplated 
the project of removing to America, they had made 
application for permission to settle among their friends 
in New Netherland. The prospect of 400 families of 
such a character as settlers was gladly considered by 
the Dutch merchants, who in 1620 held the Charter of 
Privileges. 

Application was accordingly made to the Prince of 
Orange for authority to enter into an agreement for 
their transportation to America, and for one other con- 
sideration which they demanded, — " protection " after 
they had gone. The Prince referred the question to 
the " states-general ". This conservative body had 
just learned that England claimed all the coast of 
N^orth America, and therefore it doubted the advisa- 
bility of planting an English colony within the very 
territory over which there was likely to be contention. 

So it chanced that the Puritans settled in New Eng- 
land instead of in New Netherland. Here after many 
hardships they had begun to prosper; here they had 
set up a form of government more nearly like that of 
Holland than of England; and here they had, in 1629 
obtained a charter, which in its westward extension, 
included all that portion of New Netherland lying 
between Esopus (Kingston) and the Mohawk river. 

To this charter was added, however, the saving clause 



48 (lOYERXOR MixuiT [Period III 

that this gmnt was to be " utterly void concerniug any 
parts or parcels thereof actually possessed or inhabited 
by any other Christian prince or State before the third 
day of Xovember, 1(520." This was a remarkably im- 
portant reservation. Until 1623 the Dutch had an 
entire monopoly of the trade with the region north 
of Long Island Sound. They supplied the Indian 
tribes with Dutch wares, and received in return furs, 
corn, and venison. 

Croveriior Minuit and Governor Bradford. — In 

1627 Minuit drew up a let- 
ter, " written in a very fair 
hand ", which he dispatched 
to Governor Bradford at 
Plymouth, congratulating 
him on the prosperous con- 
dition of his people, allud- 
ing to the former friend- 
ships made in Holland, and 
inviting commercial rela- 

WlLLIA.M UUADFOHU. 1590-lt>.'l7 . • 

To this Governor Bradford replied in the same vein, 
in turn congratulating Governor Minuit on the recent 
alliance of their respective countries against their 
common enemy, the hated Spaniard, and referring 
to their happy residence in Holland, '*for which we 
are bound to be thankful and our children after us, 
and shall never forget the same." He declined the 
commercial reciprocity proposed, "being fully sup- 
plied with necessaries," and then curiously added his 
regret that the Dutch should trade within the limits 
of New England. 




1627] Conference with Gov. Bradford 49 

Governor Bradford suggested that by King James's 
patent the English possessions extended from the 40th 
to the 48th degrees north latitude, and from sea to sea; 
to which Minnit replied in substance : " We came here, 
we found no English ; we have settled here and shall 
be obliged to defend our rights." Bradford wrote to 
his government that "for strength of men and forti- 
fications, the Dutch far exceed us, and besides spoiling 
our trade they continue ' to truck ' guns, powder and 
shot with the Indians, which will soon be the over- 
throw of us all if it be not looked into*." 

Minuit receiving no answer to his last letter to Gov- 
ernor Bradford sent a special messenger with tokens 
of good will, "rt rimdlet of sugar and two Holland 
cheeses,^ ^ and invited the Puritans to come to Manhattan 
" to confer ". Governor Bradford kindly entertained 
the Dutch messenger, but replied that he could not 
send a messenger as " one of our boats is abroad and 
ive have much business at home. ' ' 

Governor Minuit, anxious still for peaceful relations, 
finally sent a deputation to Plymouth, which was very 
graciously received. It was the first meeting in the 
new world of representatives from the colonies of the 
old world. Each party was most anxious to maintain 
friendly relations, yet neither would abate one jot of 
what it believed to be its colonial rights. 

The Puritans did not forget that their visitors came 
from the only land that would receive them, when, as 
" Pilgrims" they had left England forever; while the 
Dutch, on their part, remembered their own struggles 
for religious freedom. But the latter learned a lesson 

* Massachusetts Historical Collection. 



50 GovERXOR MixuiT [Period III 

which they carried home with them to put in practice 
when they at last felt the yoke of the West India 
Company to be too heavy. They learned much of 
the English form of government, of their annual elec- 
tions, and their better means of living. 

Currency. — In their dealings with the Indians the 
Dutch had one great advantage over the English, by 
means of which they had been able to monopolize the 
fur trade about Narragansett Bay. The Indians did 
not care for European coins. The currency they pre- 
ferred was " seawan ", which was of two kinds : " wam- 
pum " or white beads, made from the stem of the 
periwinkle ; and ' ' suckanhock ' ' or black beads, the 
value of which was double that of the white. " Sea- 
wan" was both used as currency and worn as jewelry. 
It distinguished the rich from the poor; it bought 
lands and merchandise; it purchased a ransom, it 
atoned for an injury, and it Avas used in various In- 
dian ceremonies. 

"Wampum" was chiefly manufactured by the In- 
dians of Long Island. The Dutch trader was not 
slow to avail himself of the advantages derived from 
living so near to the source of this valuable medium 
of exchange. Governor Minuit went so far as to pro- 
pose to Governor Bradford a sort of reciprocity which 
would furnish the English traders with this currency, 
but his friendly overtures were rejected. 

The patrooii sytenij, 1629. — The population of 
Manhattan at this time was but 270, and its growth 
was very slow. Only a small area about the settle- 
ments was under cultivation, and the supply of food was 
entirely insufficient for the use even of the traders who 



1629] The Patroon System 51 

still constituted the greater part of the population. 
Settlers did not come. The island of Manhattan had 
become by purchase the private property of the Dutch 
West India Company, but the revenues of that com- 
pany came from the peltries purchased from the In- 
dians, and did not at all satisfy the men who were 
looking in Xew Netherland not for a future Dutch 
State but for an increase in the number of profitable 
trading posts. 

Their profits they saw would be greatly increased if 
there were on this side the Atlantic prosperous colonies 
that would purchase cargoes of Dutch wares and in 
return furnish products of which European markets 
were in need. So it was thought desirable to plant 
several distinct colonies within their possessions here. 
For this purpose a plan was suggested for transplant- 
ing to this country one of the features of the old 
feudal system of Europe. This plan was approved by 
the college of nineteen*. A " Charter of Privileges " 
and exemptions was issued, granting to any member 
of the company extensive domains in New Nether- 
land, outside of Manhattan Island, on condition that 
he should within four years place upon the land so 
granted, a colony of fifty adult settlers. Those to 
whom these grants should be made were to be known 
as " Patroons ", i. e., patrons, or defenders. 

Each patroon might select sixteen miles frontage on 
any navigable water, or eight miles on both sides, and 
might extend that tract into the interior as far as he 

* The "College of Nineteen" was the executive 
committee of the West India Company. In this col- 
lege the states-general had one representative. 



52 Governor Minuit [Period III 

chose. The patroons must purchase their lands from 
any Indians laying claim to them, and must support a 
minister and school-master. These colonies were for 
ten years to be protected "against all inlandish and 
outlandish wars and powers", but were forbidden to 
manufacture any linen or cotton cloth, or "to traffic 
in the skins of otters, beavears, and minks". 

The patroon system brought to our shores men who 
became of great service to the country, and many of 
their names linger among us still; but the system was 
opposed to the genius of American institutions and 
could not long endure. Ultimately it led to those 
serious anti-rent troubles which will be treated of later. 

The colonists brought over by the patroons were 
tenants for a term of years, and when their period of 
service expired, they were free to renew the contract 
or to go away from the colony. 

The patroon estates. — The patroons were active in 
securing valuable estates for themselves. In fact, so 
many of Governor Minuit's friends became patroons 
that his partiality to them ultimately led to his recall. 
Killian Van Rensselaer, one of the directors, became 
the owner of an immense tract of land near Fort 
Orange*. Michael Paauw took a district opposite Fort 
Amsterdam, at that time called " Hoboken-Hacking "f. 

Even David Pietersen De Vries, one of the wisest 
and most liberal of all the directors, perceived the ad- 
vantage of these investments, and in company with 

* He managed by proxy to secure a tract 48 by 24 
miles in one body, and 62,000 acres in another. 

t From a corruption of Paauw we get Pavonia. 



1632] English Claim to Xew N^etherland 53 

Samuel Godyn, Samuel Blommaert and John De Laet 
(or Laert) acquired an extensive tract of land in Dela- 
ware, taking possession in the name of the states- 
general and founding the patroonship of Swansdale *. 
Hoboken, or Pavonia, gradually spread southward on 
the New Jersey shore and finally embraced the whole 
of Staten Island f, which afterwards came into pos- 
session of De Vries. 

Complete feudal rights were granted to these propri- 
etors. Within the limits of their patents or charters 
they exercised absolute rule over their domains. 

They made laws and executed them, even inflicting 
the death penalty. They did not prosper, and when 
the English came in 1664, Rensselaerwick was the 
only patroonship remaining. 

The English claim New Netherland.— In 1632 
Governor Minuit was recalled. It so happened that the 
ship on which he took passage was by a storm driven 
into Plymouth harbor. Here it was seized on the 
charge of illegally trading within the king's dominions. 
Captain Mason of Plymouth, who made the seizure, 
reported to the English government that the Dutch 
were "interlopers, having fallen into the middle be- 
tween Virginia and New England ". This letter took 
no account of Dutch claims or titles, but boldly in- 
cluded the territory of New Netherland in the charter 
given to the Council of Plymouth in 1620. The West 
India Company immediately prepared a strong docu- 

* This settlement was in the next year entirely de- 
stroyed by the Indians, not one person being left to- 
tell the tale. 

f Staten or Staats Island. 



54 Governor Mtnuit [Period III 

mentary statement of the ground of their rights. It 
was clear, explicit, truthful and dignified. The 
ground of their claim was as follows: 

1. The discovery in 1609. 

2. Their occupancy in 1610. 

3. The grant of a trading charter in 1614. 

4. The maintenance of a fort and garrison. 

5. The failure of the English to occupy the territory 
claimed. 

These were indeed strong claims. King Charles 
could not refute them, neither would he concede their 
justice. Fearing his foreign relations might be en- 
dangered by its further detention, he ordered the re- 
lease of the ship, " saving any prejudice to his Majesty's 
rights". This was another postponement, not a set- 
tlement of the dispute. 

Review of Miiniit's Administration. — Notwith- 
standing the abuses complained of and which finally 
secured his recall, Minuit's administration was, on the 
whole, a wise one. He had made an honest purchase 
of Manhattan Island, had improved the settlements 
about the Island, and had maintained peaceful relations 
with the Indians and with the English. The patroon- 
ships of Rensselaerwick and Swaansdale had been 
founded and both the exports and imports of the col- 
ony had been greatly augmented. For two years after 
his recall the little colony was without a governor, its 
affairs being managed by the " Council ". 

SUMMMARY 

1. The coming of Minuit, 1636. His government. 
The purchase of Manhattan. 



1632] Summary of his Administration 55 

2. Fort Amsterdam. 

3. Indian troubles at Albany. 

4. The Dutch and the Puritans. Why the Puritans 
did not settle in ^""ew Xetherland. 

5. Their charter and the Dutch possessions. 

6. Minuit and Governor Bradford. Minuit's efforts 
for peace. 

7. Wampum ; nature and value. 

8. The patroons (1629) ; their privileges and obiga- 
tions. Character of patroons. 

9. Prominent patroons. 

10. Defects of the system. 

11. Departure of Minuit; arrest of ; Plymouth com- 
plaint. 

12. Dutch statement of the ground of their rights. 



CHAPTER V 
GovER:t^OR WouTER Yax Twtller, 1633-1(;38 

In the spring of 1633 Wouter (Walter) Van Twiller 
came as governor. Be was ignorant of public affairs 
and wholly unfitted for so responsible a position. 
Whatever may have been his good qualities, he will al- 
ways, to the ^N^ew York school-boy, be seen as repre- 
sented by Washington Irving *. 

But this is in no sense a true picture of him, nor 
must Irving's description of the times during which 
Van Twiller was governor be taken at all seriously. 
Lazy and bibulous the governor doubtless was, but as 
we have seen, the people among whom he came were 
poor, and there were no such scenes of plenty on the 
island of Manhattan as Irving depicts. 

Van Twiller brought with him a hundred soldiers 
as a garrison for the fort, the first to be stationed in 
the colony. The good Dominie Bogardusf, and Adam 
Eoelandson, the first schoolmaster in the colony, came 
with Van Twiller. While we know little of Roeland- 
son, we find much recorded of Dominie Bogardus. 
He frequently thought he ought to rejirove the governor, 

* Irving's " Knickerbocker's History of Xew York ". 

t Bogardus is usually spoken of as the first minister 
in Manhattan, but Mrs. Schuyler Van Rensselaer tells 
of one Rev. Jonas Michaelius who was there in 1628, 
and was both minister and schoolmaster. 

(56) 



1633] " Staple Rights " 57 

and did not fear to do his duty. On one occasion to 
Governor Van Twiller's face he called him a " child of 
the devil ", and threatened to give him a "shaking 
from the pulpit". Later, it was Dominie Bogardus 
who called Governor Kieft to account for his cruelties 
to the Indians, and from his pulpit declared that " our 
great men are but vessels of wrath and fountains of 
trouble." 

Manhattan invested with ^*^ Staple Rights", 

1633. — In the management of Xew Netherland the 
West India Company looked only for quick returns from 
their investments. They viewed the colony from a 
commercial standpoint; for its political future, they 
cared very little. Consequently Van Twiller's whole 
purpose as governor was to extend the monopoly of 
the company. For this reason the little village of 
Manhattan, now containing about 300 whites, was in 
1633 invested with " Staple Rights ", by virtue of 
which act, all merchandise passing up or down the 
river became subject to such duties as the company 
saw fit to impose, thus giving it a monopoly of all the 
trade of the colony. 

Fort Good Hope and the Puritans. — Among the 
enterprises entrusted to Van Twiller was the protection 
of the interests of the West India Company on the 
East river (Connecticut). At this point a danger still 
threatened. Here the Dutch were constantly coming 
into contact with the Puritans, under conditions 
greatly to their own disadvantage. 

The early Dutch were a race of merchants; and so, 
unfortunately, their American possessions were almost 



58 Governor Van Twiller [Period III 

entirely occupied by traders. These men were enter- 
prising; they pushed their ventures east, west, north 
and south; but they neither cleared the forests nor 
tilled the soil. As a result, at the east they had early 
come into contact with a race who were both traders 
and agriculturists, Avho were as keen for traffic as 
themselves, but who were followed at once by an army 
of farmers who cared less for furs than for choice 
lands; who had come to this country to stay; who had 
transplanted all their earthly possessions, and who 
were setting up new homes in a western wilderness. 

The Dutch traders had observed the Puritans' thrift 
and especially their tendency to colonize farther and 
farther to the w^est. Their keen commercial instinct 
told them something must be done to check this west- 
ward tendency of their enterprising neighbors. 

So, relying upon their right by virtue of Block's 
discoveries (1613), they determined to take formal 
possession of the valley of the Connecticut. In 1633, 
Van Twiller sent commissary Jacob Van Curler out in 
charge of a small expedition for that purpose. Van 
Curler set up the arms of Holland at the mouth of the 
Connecticut river, and, sailing north to what gave 
promise of being a good location, bought land of the 
Indians and began the construction of a fort which he 
called "Fort Good Hope", on the site of the city of 
Hartford. 

This fort was but half finished when Captain Wil- 
liam Holmes of Plymouth came sailing boldly up the 
river. He was ordered to halt, but paid no attention; 
nor did he give any more heed when Van Curler 
threatened^to fire on him. He pushed on past the 



1633] A^ English Ship in N^ew York Bay 59 

Dutch fort and established a rival trading post where 
Windsor now stands, a few miles above Hartford. 

Here matters rested until two years later, when sl 
colony from Dorchester, Mass., half the population of 
that town, came and settled at AVindsor, making clear- 
ings and establishing a town, while Good Hope re- 
mained only a trading post. 

Other settlements followed, and in a few years the 
Dutch found themselves crowded out of the valley of 
the Connecticut. 

Eelkens and the ^^ William".— In 1633 another 
incident occurred to show the determination of the 
English to gain possession of JS'ew Netherland. One 
Jacob Eelkins, a former employe of the West India 
Company who had been dismissed from their service, 
arrived from London in the English ship William and 
attempted to sail up the Hudson to trade with the In- 
dians. This was the first English ship to enter New 
York Bay. The vacillating Van Twiller remonstrated, 
swore, and finally allowed Eelkens to proceed. The 
real head of the colony was a director, David Pieter- 
sen De Vries. He proposed that Eelkens should be 
driven out, and he carried his point. The William 
was brought down to Manhattan and forced to sea. 
Eelkens returned to London entirely foiled in his pur^ 
pose of interfering with Dutch trade. 

Tan Twiller recalled. — At last complaints against 
Van Twiller began to reach Holland. It was not just 
to charge to his incompetence all the troubles of the 
colony, but it did not prosper. 

There were reasons for this. The patroons brought 



60 Governor Van Twiller [Period Til 

a number of colonists to our shores, but they kept 
more away. There was really nothing to invite thrifty, 
industrious people to emigrate to New Motherland, as 
there was on the other hand little to tempt the lazy 
and vicious. 

The West India Company decided that Van Twiller 
must be recalled, and in 1638 he was replaced by Wil- 
liam Kieft. 

SUMMARY 

1. The coming of Van Twiller, 1633. Character of 
the man. 

2. Koelandson and Bogardus. 

3. Staple rights; nature of. 

4. English and Dutch contrasted. 

5. Van Curler and Fort Good Hope. 

6. Captain Holmes of Plymouth. 

7. The conflict for the possession of the Connecti- 
-cut Valley. 

8. Eelken's visit to New York. 



CHAPTER VI 

Gover:n'OR William Kieet, 1638-1647 

Much that is uu complimentary has been written of 
the early life of William Kieft, and the character of 
his administration did not redeem the reputation that 
preceded him. He truly found the affairs of the com- 
pany in a bad condition and he set about reforming 
abuses so vigorously as almost to destroy the semblance 
of liberty among the people. While Van Twiller 
had governed too little, Kieft governed too much. He 
;soon concentrated power as much as possible in his 
own hands, and at once spoke of the people as his 
*" subjects ". 

The morals of the community under the easy rule 
of the good-natured Van Twiller had grown lax. 
Kieft instituted a rigorous police system, and threat- 
ened evil doers with fines and imprisonment. Sailors 
were for the first time required to be on their ships 
after night-fall. The promiscuous sale of liquors was 
prohibited, and the "tapping of beer during divine 
service^'' was forbidden. He reformed the court by 
requiring that all complaints should be written in 
proper form by the colonial secretary. 

For these and many other restraints on what the 
people were pleased to call their "liberties", the new 
governor was roundly censured. 

(61) 



62 



Governor Kieft 



[Period III 



The Swedes on the Delaware^ 1638.— In the 
same month that Governor Kieft arrived at 
Manhattan, ex- Governor Minuit entered 
Delaware Bay with a colony of 
Swedes. Smarting under the 
disgfrace of his dismissal 
from the service of the 
West India Com- 
pany , he deter- 
mined to profit by 
his knowledge of 
Dutch manage- 
m e n t in X e w 
Xetherland. For 
this purpose he 
went to Sweden, 
and offered hi& 
services to Gusta- 
VQs AdolphuSy 
then the most 
powerful military 
leader in all Eu- 
rope, proposing ta 
lead a Swedish 
colony to Ameri- 
ca. While negotiations were pending, Gustavus Adol- 
phus died, and the government descended to his 
daughter Christina, a child of six years. 

On this account, his proposal was not acted upon un- 
til 1638, when, a regency having been established with 
the illustrious Axel, Count of Oxenstiern, at its. 




1638] Fort Christina m 

liead, a colony of fifty, accompanied by a man-of-war, 
was dispatched in care of Minuit. He knew of the 
construction of the Dutch fort on the Delaware and 
of the advantages offered there, both for trade and 
agriculture. Ignoring the little garrison still main- 
tained at Fort Nassau, he boldly landed fifteen miles 
below that place, purchased land of the Indians, and 
proceeded to build a fort*, which in honor of the 
child queen of Sweden, he named Fort Christina. 

Kieft at once sent out one of his " proclamations " 
Bgaiust this encroachment of the Swedes, to which 
Minuit paid not the slightest attention. The colony 
remained, with varying fortunes, the first permanent 
settlement in the State of Delaware. 

Complaints against the West India company^ 

1638. — Even before Kieft's arrival complaints of 
mismanagement on the part of the company reached 
Holland, and an investigation was ordered. The facts 
came out that, so far the company had managed atfairs 
solely in its own interests; that few settlers were going 
to New Netherland ; and that the states-general were 
reaping no benefit from all that had been done in 
America. 

The patroons, too, grew more grasping year by year, 
and brought little or no revenue to the company. 
They even demanded that their already enormous pow- 
•ers and privileges be still further enlarged. They 
wanted to monopolize more territory, to have longer 
time in which to settle colonies; to become entirely 
independent of the company; to have a vote in the 

* About when Wilmington now stands. 



64 Governor Kieft [Period III 

council; to be supplied with ne^ro slaves as laborers;; 
and, lastly, they demanded that " private persons " 
should not be allowed to purchase land from the In- 
dians, but should be obliged to settle within the= 
domains of these manorial lords. 

Proclamation of free trade. — It was now de- 
termined to attempt the experiment of opening to free 
competition the internal trade of Xew Xetherland. 
The Amsterdam chamber proclaimed " that all inhabi- 
tants of the United Provinces, and of friendly coun- 
tries might freely convey in the company's ships any 
cattle and merchandise they desired," and " might 
receive whatever returns they or their agents may be 
able to obtain in these quarters therefor." 

A more liberal policy toward immigrants was forced 
upon the company, and under this system a desirable 
class of settlers began to arrive in New Xetherland. 
Small farmers came, and for the first time in the his- 
tory of the colony fruit trees were planted and gardens- 
were cultivated. Commercial privileges which had 
been confined to the patroons were extended to all free 
colonists*, and trade began to revive f. 

Dutch and English claims to Long Island.— The 

New England colonists each year narrowed more and 
more the frontier of New Netherland to the east, and 

"^ Those not bound to service. 

fin the midst of the general depression one colony- 
prospered. This was the Van Rensselaer patroonship 
at Fort Orange. It embraced most of the present 
counties of Albanv, Rensselaer and Columbia, more 
than 1,000 square miles, extending twenty-five miles 
along the Hudson river. 



1640] First English Settlement in 'N'ew York 65 

slowly but surely circumstances were shaping the 
future State of New York. 

The Dutch settlements on Long Island had up to 
this time been confined to the vicinity of Brooklyn. 
Kieft now extended the possessions of the company by 
purchase from the Indians of all that portion west of 
Oyster Bay, although the Dutch had always considered 
the entire island theirs by right of discovery and 
possession. 

The Council of Plymouth laid claim to the eastern 
portion of Long Island and granted charters to parts 
of the same. The first grant was made in 1639 to 
one Lyon Gardiner, of an island which the Indians 
called Machonack, but which was afterward known as 
Gardiner's Island. Here, in 1640, was planted the first 
English settlement within the present limits of the 
State of New York. 

Relations with the Indians. — The opening of 
trade with its benefits brought its troubles also. The 
old, cautious policy of the company was no longer 
enforced, and greedy traders furnished the Mohawks 
with guns and ammunition so freely that they began to 
levy tribute from the surrounding tribes, — at once 
arousing jealousy against the Dutch. 

The hatred of the river tribes was still further 
aroused by Kieft, who, alleging " express orders from 
Holland ", exacted contributions of corn and furs from 
them. These tribes were soon entirely estranged, and 
their vindictive manner led Kieft to order all residents 
of Manhattan to arm themselves and at a given signal 
to repair to the fort. 



66 GoYERXOR KiEFT [Period III 

For a petty theft*, Kieft at once undertook to pun- 
ish the Raritans. In this "punishment" several In- 
dians were killed, and all hope of regaining the good 
will of the savages was lost. 

Trouble with the Baritaiis. — The cruelties in- 
flicted upon the Raritans had aroused their animosity, 
and they only awaited the time when they might avenge 
their injuries. Before long they laid waste De A^ries's 
settlement on Staten Island. Kieft, learning of this, 
determined upon their destruction, and offered a reward 
for the heads of all who had been concerned in the 
affair. De Vries, though the real sufferer, remon- 
strated with Kieft, and insisted that the Indian troubles 
were the result of bad faith on the part of the whites. 
He said to him, "You wish to break the Indians' 
mouths, but you will also murder our own people." 

The murder of Claus Smits. — The Indian troubles 
grew more threatening. In revenge for an injury done 
him when a child, an Indian murdered a poor inoffens- 
ive wheel-wright, Claus Smits. Immediately Kieft 
sent out to the Weckquaesgeeks, demanding the mur- 
derer. Their sachem refused to deliver him up. With 
his usual hasty spirit, Kieft proposed to punish this 
tribe as he had punished the Raritans, but was fearful 
of the consequences should a general Indian war result. 
From this circumstance grew the first attempt at a 
representative government in Xew York. 

^^The council of twelve", or, ^^The twelve 
men," 1641. — In his perplexity Kieft summoned 
^'all the masters and heads of families to meet him 

* On De Vries plantation on Staten Island. 



1641] The Council of Twelve 6^7 

in Fort Amsterdam to resolve on something of the 
first necessity." This was the first popular meeting 
ever held in New Netherland, the first recognition of 
the right of the people to a voice in the atfairs of the 
colony, and, as such, should be placed to the credit of 
Governor Kieft. The question he proposed to the 
meeting showed that his own mind was already made 
up, and that he only wanted the sanction of the 
people to what he was about to undertake. But even 
this was a concession to the growing demand for a 
share in the government*. This assembly chose 
*' Twelve select men" to consider the question sub- 
mitted, and the "twelve" elected David Pietersen De 
Vries as their presidentf. 

Their answer to the governor contained one re- 
markable sentence; "God and the opportunity ought 
to be taken into consideration." 

The " twelve" assented to the hostilities proposed, 
but advised the hot-headed governor to proceed 
cautiously. 

*This is the question he proposed: "Is it not just 
that the murder lately committed by a savage upon 
Claus Sniits be avenged and punished; and in ease 
the Indians will not surrender the murderer, is it not 
just to destroy the whole village to which he belongs? 
In what manner ought this to be done?" 

fDe Vries, who was competent to speak, and not 
likely to give Kieft undue credit, says they were 
selected to aid in the management of the affairs of the 
colony; but Van der Donck, in his " Vertoogh " writ- 
ten soon after Kieft's recall says they had " neither vote 
nor advice in judicial matters", but "were chosen to 
serve as cloaks and ' cats-paws' in time of war". 



68 Governor Kieft [Period III 

Demands of the ^^ twelve", 1642.— The next 
year Kieft called the " Council of Twelve " together, 
and while it was agreed that war should begin at once, 
they insisted that Kieft should lead the expedition in 
person. 

They were bold enough to demand also some re- 
forms in the government of the colony. They com- 
plained of the arbitrary constitution of the govern- 
ment; they asked that four persons be chosen from 
their number (two to retire each year), " who shall 
have access to the council so that taxes may not be 
imposed on the country in the absence of the twelve "; 
and they reminded him that while in Holland the 
smallest village had a board of from five to seven 
schepens, Manhattan had none. They also asked 
that all freemen should be allowed to visit vessels 
arriving from abroad, as was the custom in their 
native country; and that all colonists should have the 
right to go and come freely and to trade where they 
pleased, provided they paid the company's duties. 

Kieft was grieved at the unsolicited advice given by 
the " twelve", and plainly toJd them that their duties 
ended with the case of the murdered Smits. A few of 
their requests were granted, and to save himself from 
their further meddling in his affairs, the governor 
issued a proclamation in which he thanked the 
** twelve", dismissed them, and forbade the calling of 
other assemblies, " without express orders of the direc- 
tor". Thus for the time, ended popular government 
in New Netherland. 

The governor now having the sanction he desired 
did not delay the campaign. Fortunately the Indians 



1643] The Year of Blood 69 

submitted in time to save both parties from the conse- 
quences of their folly, and a temporary peace was 
made which postponed, but did not avert the war. 

The year of blood, 1643. — In the early annals of 
'New Xetherland the year 1643 was always known as 
*' the year of blood ". In Xew England there was 
general alarm over reports of an intended rising of all 
the Indian tribes in those colonies, while in Xew 
Xetherland there was a feeling of insecurity among 
all the outlying settlements. The almost universal 
fear was soon realized. The trouble began with a 
drunken Indian who murdered a Dutch settler. 

De Vries, the peace maker, undertook to prevent an 
outbreak. After giving his personal promise of their 
safety, he persuaded the sachems of the Hackensacks 
to go to the fort, see the governor, and offer full 
atonement, according to their standard, in money. 
This they did, but Kieft was inexorable; the guilty 
Indian must be delivered up*. 

Before Kieft had time to take this matter in hand a 
more serious event occurred, which drove the first 
from men's minds. 

One winter's night, some neighboring Indians hav- 
ing been attacked by another river tribe, sought refuge 
among the whites. De Vries and others were trying to 

* The Indians would not do this, but they read the 
governor a temperance lecture which has rarely been 
equalled. " Why do you sell brandy to our young 
men ? They are not used to it; it makes them crazy. 
Even your own people sometimes become drunk and 
fight. Sell no more strong drink and you will save 
trouble." 



70 Governor Kieft [Period III 

protect these savages, when Kieft ordered his soldiery 
to assault them, and in spite of the protests of their 
protectors, they were murdered. 

Such an act could bring but one result; all the tribes 
were at once in arms. The farms were laid waste, the 
farmers murdered, and many of the smaller settlements 
entirely destroyed. Kieft was now bitterly reproached, 
and his life was in danger from the people he had 
come to govern. 

De Vries had suffered much from the Indians, but 
he was opposed to Kieft's policy of going to war with 
them. When his colony of Swansdale had been de- 
stroyed he had not retaliated, but had made peace with 
the guilty tribe, which had became his friends. When 
the Raritans had laid waste his settlement on Staten 
Island, he Avas still for peace, but Kieft offered a re- 
ward for the Raritans who had been concerned in the 
matter. The war which followed nearly depopulated 
the colony. The Indians on Long Island, hitherto 
always friendly, made common cause with the other 
savages. Tribes that had never agreed before united 
to drive the Dutch into the sea. Eleven tribes were 
in the league. The attacks came from every side; 
they came by day and by night; they swarmed on the 
settlers from swamps and thickets. 

Vriesdale was destroyed, and De Vries himself was 
in danger. He was in his manor house when, in the 
midst of the attack, word was passed to the besiegers 
that he was a friend to the Indians, and instantly the 
seige was raised. Going down to Manhattan, De Vries 
entered the fort where Kieft was safely housed, and 
indignantly reminded the governor of his warning. 



1643] The Eight Men 71 

" Did I not tell you that you were only helping to 
shed Christian blood ? " he demanded. 

Kieft was humbled. The colony was ruined, and 
the people charged all their woes upon his head. Only 
after much bloodshed was a peace arranged which lasted 
till the following August (1643). Then the hatchet 
was dug up and again war raged from the Connecti- 
cut to the Hackensack. It spread to New Jersey and 
even invaded the island of Manhattan. 

The eight meii^ 1643. — The governor had dis- 
banded the " twelve men " and in his extremity asked 
the people to appoint eight men as a council. The 
*' eight" were very determined men*. They recom 
mended the enlistment of as large a force as the colony 
could equip. Fifty Englishmen enlisted and were 
placed under command of Captain Underbill, a veteran 
of the Pequod war. 

Little was done during the winterf. De Vries, hav- 
ing lost everything and being weary with the constant 
warfare with which he was surrounded, sailed for Hol- 
land. As he was leaving, he called on Governor Kieft 
and gave him solemn warning. " Tbe murders," he 
said, " in which you have shed so much innocent blood 
will yet be visited on your own head." 

Again the "eight men" came together and this 
time they sent a most pitiful appeal to the states-. 

* The "eight men" suggested that a little less 
" taverning" and more preaching would be good for 
the people. 

f It was this year that the palisade, or fence, with 
a wall was built across Manhattan Island, marking 
what is now known as Wall street. 



72 Governor Kieft [Period III 

general, describing the condition of the colony and 
making complaint against the governor. In the spring 
of 1644 the campaign was pushed with all the vigor 
that was possible from the ruined colony. Captain 
Underbill went to Connecticut and reduced the savages 
there, then returned and pursued those nearer Man- 
hattan. Unexpected aid now came. One hundred 
and thirty Dutch soldiers from the West Indies arrived 
in time to be of real service. 

The governor and the '' ei^ht men "now quarrelled 
over the conduct of the campaign, and Captain Un- 
derbill, with his English soldiers were dismissed. At 
the close of 1G44 the " eigbt men" sent another ap- 
peal to Holland, and also begged for the recall of Gov- 
ernor Kieft. 

It is difficult, in our time, even to imagine the 
deplorable condition to which the colony was reduced. 
For four years Xew Netherland had hardly known rest 
from Indian wars. Manhattan was nearly depopulated, 
scarcely one hundred able-bodied men remained, 
while 1,600 savages had been killed. 

With the return of spring, the Indians again desired 
peace, and Kieft most eagerly acquiesced. Rest was 
at last brought to the distracted colony, and gradually 
the people returned to their desolated farms. 

Kieft recalled, 1647.— The demand for Kieft's 
recall was now stronger than ever, and in 1647, he 
took his departure, carrying with him the dislike of 
the colony, but consoling himself with £20,000 which 
he had been able to accumulate. In the same ship 
sailed good Dominie Bogardus, who with Kieft and 



1647] Summary of his Administratiok 73 

eighty others perished in the wreck of their vessel on 
the home voyage. 

Soon after Kief t's departure came Peter Stuyvesant, 
the sixth and last Dutch governor. 

SUMMARY 

1. Governor William Kieft. His character. 

2. Some improvements made. 

3. The Swedes on the Delaware. Fort Christina. 

4. Complaints against the West India Company. 

5. Complaints against the Patroons. 

6. The opening of trade. Effect of. 

7. Controversy over Long Island. 

8. Extent of the Rensselaer patroonship. 

9. Indian troubles; origin of. 

10. Kieft's unwise policy. 

11. Troubles with the Raritans. 

12. The Claus Smits trouble. 

13. Origin of "The Council of Twelve". Their 
office. 

14. The action of the twelve. 

15. The complaints of the twelve and their discharge. 

16. The "year of blood", 1643; De Vries; the 
" eight men ". 

17. Captain John Underbill. 

18. The complaint of the " eight men ". 

19. Effects of Kieft's wars. 

20. Fate of Kieft and Dominie Bogardus. 



CHAPTER VII 

The La^=t Dutch Governor, Peter Stuyvesant, 
1647-1664 

Peter Stuyvesaiit. — The new governor was a gal- 
lant soldier who had seen 
much service in the wars of 
Holland, but he was very in- 
experienced in administrative 
affairs. 

It being now the sincere 
wish of the West India Com- 
pany to improve the condi- 
tion of their colony, Stuyve- 
sant's duties were outlined 

Peter Stuyvesant. 1602-1682 x- i • i! ii tf 

tor him as lollows: He was 
to keep peace with the Indians; to repair the fort; to 
make sure the English did not further encroach on the 
territory of Xew Netherland; to induce the settle- 
ment of desirable colonists; to prevent the sale of 
arms to the Indians ; to maintain a permanent garri- 
son; and to open trade to all the inhabitants. 

This was work enough to tax the wit of a wiser man 
than Governor Stuyvesant. Fortunately for him, the 
Iroquois kept their early treaties, and gave little 
trouble, while, thanks to Kieft's blood-thirsty policy, 
the neighboring tribes had been nearly exterminated 
and were incapable of doing much harm. 

(74) 




1647] Demand for Self-Government 75 

Settlers were ready to come to the colony at any 
time whenever its affairs ga^e promise of being peaceful 
and its proprietors were willing to allow a laboring man 
the fruits of his industry. The English problem 
promised to give trouble and the Swedes, now well 
established on the Delaware, evidently intended to 
maintain their position in spite of Stuyvesant's 
authority. 

The people of Manhattan were rejoiced when their 
new governor came, and they wished to pay him their 
respects. When they had been kept waiting bare- 
headed in the sun for an hour, and were told by Stuy- 
vesant that he had come to govern them " as a father 
would govern his children ", some of them went away 
in doubt. He soon showed the burghers that, like 
Kieft, he regarded them as his "subjects". He de- 
clared that it was " treason to appeal from the decision 
of one's superiors", and that if any one appealed 
from his decisions he " would make him a foot shorter,, 
and send the pieces to Holland ". 

However, he showed himself a despot "with a bite 
not so bad as his bark". He reformed many abuses. 
He was tyrannical but just, and treated the Indians 
with kindness. 

A demand for self-government^ 1647.— Concern- 
ing one matter Stuyvesant found the people stubbornly 
insistent. They remembered the local self-government 
of Holland. They demanded the same freedom, and 
the same share in the government of Xew Netherland 
that they had enjoyed in the "Fatherland"; while 
Stuyvesant, more accustomed to camps than courts, 
had no liking for free institutions, and preferred good 



76 Governor Stuyvesant [Period III 

dividends for the stockholders to the advice of the 
€ommon people, whom he held in great contempt. 
But these demands finally became so imperative, they 
could be no longer ignored. 

An election was therefore held in which Manhat- 
tan, Breuckelen, Amersfort (Fiatlands), and Pavonia 
participated. Eighteen '' of the most notable, reason- 
able, honpst, and respectable" persons among them 
were selected, from whom, according to customs in the 
*' Fatherland ", the " director and his council" were 
to choose " Nine Men^^ to " advise and assist the gover- 
nor lohen called upon^\ A small concession to the 
popular demand for a share in the government! It 
was, however, a recognition that the people existed, 
and as such they accepted it. 

The ^^nine men". — Stuyvesant ambiguously de- 
fined the powers and duties of the " nine " as follows: 
They were " to promote the honor of God and the wel- 
fare of our dear Fatherland;" to " preserve pure Re- 
formed religion;" "to meet only when convened in a 
legitimate manner; " and ^' when called upon " they were 
" to bring forward their advice." Three of the nine 
were to have seats by rotation in the council once a 
week, to whom, as arbitrators, civil cases "might be 
referred ". It would be difficult to hedge about more 
completely the powers of any body of public offices. 

One of the first matters recommended by the " nine " 
was the reorganization of the public school, thus prov- 
ing their genuine interest in the concerns of the colony. 

Stuyvesant's intolerance. — For a time this small 
share in the government was accepted with good grace, 



1649] The Nine Men 77 

l)ut soon, having plenty of proofs that the governor 
would in no sense be bound by their opinions, the 
'" nine " thought it wise to preserve in a proper jour- 
Tial the transactions of his council*. 

Stuyvesant was even more intolerant in religious 
matters. Until this time there had been absolute 
freedom of religious worship in the colony. The new 
governor proposed to allow none except the Dutch 
Eeformed services. In 1656 he imposed a fine of one 
hundred Flemish pounds on any who should preach 
without a license. For this he was rebuked by the 
company. In the next year some Quakers, driven from 
Plymouth, came to Manhattan. Enraged beyond 
measure at their advent, Stuyvesant scourged, impris- 
.oned, and finally drove them from the colony. 

The memorial of 1649. — Stuyvesant's efforts at 
repression only excited to a greater degree the growing 
sentiment in favor of popular government. This 
resulted in 1649 in a memorial to the states-general in 
which the "nine men" plainly stated the wishes of 
-the colonists. 

They made three requests which were ably enforced 
with earnest arguments : 

1. New Netherland should be peopled at once with 
oolonists from Holland, brought over in public vessels. 

2. The states-general should immediately establish 
-a " suitable burgher government resembling that of 
the Fatherland". 

*This duty they imposed on Adrian Von der Donck 
one of their number. Stuyvesant arrested him and 
lodged him in jail. 



78 Governor Stuyvesant [Period III 

3. The boundaries of New Netherland should be 
established so that the people might "dwell in peace 
and quietness". 

These were the chief points in the memorial, but 
the " nine men " explained in marginal remarks the 
organization of the Xew England colonies where 
" neither patroon nor lord was known but only the 
people." 

With this went a popular remonstrance in which 
complaint was made of the mismanagement of the 
West India Company, concluding with these memor- 
able words: "In our opinion this country will never 
flourish under the government of the honorable com- 
pany, but will pass away and come to an end. There- 
fore it would be more profitable for them and better 
for the country that they should be rid thereof and 
their effects transported hence." 

This " vertoogh ", or remonstrance, and the 
memorial were intrusted to three men, who with 
Dominie Backerus departed for Holland, July 6, 1649. 

The commission to Holland^ 1650. — The three 
commissioners sent to the fatherland performed their 
duty faithfully. For the first time in the history of 
the colony its affairs were truthfully presented to the 
home government, while an agent whom Stuyvesant 
also sent over presented the governor's side of the- 
matter in complaint. 

So much had never before been heard of Xew Xeth- 
erland. A member of the Amsterdam chamber of 
deputies wrote to Stuyvesant, "The name 'Xew 
Xetherland' was hardly ever before mentioned here^ 
now it Avould seem that heaven and earth are inter- 



1650] The Commissioi^ to Holland 79 

ested in it." Interest in the almost forgotten colony 
across the Atlantic was excited, and the states-general 
reported a remedy which they thought should give 
satisfaction to all parties. 

In the "order" which they issued, the following 
important directions were given: 

1. They condemned Kieft's Indian wars, and directed 
that thereafter no hostilities should be waged against 
the Indians except by the approval of the states-general. 

2. Trade in guns with the Indians was to be discon- 
tinued. 

3. Three additional clergymen should be provided 
and schools established. 

4. The admiaistration and collection of taxes should be 
regidated by the people. 

5. Two members of the council should be chosen by 
the commonalty, and a burgher government established 
in Manhattan. 

6. The "nine men" should continue three years 
longer and have jurisdiction in cases between "man 
and man ". 

7. Private iships sailing from Holland to New Nether- 
land should be compelled to carry emigrants, for which 
purpose 15,000 guilders should be annually expended *. 

The plan of the commissioners did not meet the 

* Three other matters of complaint were also regu- 
lated. All sales ot real estate were made void unless ap- 
proved by the director and council ; bread was required 
tu be made of a standard weight and quality; and the 
currency w.is regulated. For lack of current specie, 
wampum was made lawfully current, at the rate of 
three black or six white beads for one " stiver". 



80 Governor Stuyyesant [Period III 

fond expectations of the commonalty, while the Am- 
sterdam directors on their part, prepared to resist as 
far as possible even these small concessions to the 
popular demands. 

The Hartford treaty. — One of the most impor- 
tant events of Stuyvesant's administration also oc- 
curred in 1650. 

In the midst of his controversies at home, he under- 
took a settlement of the long standing difficulty on 
Long Island and on the Connecticut river. 

For this purpose he visited Hartford, undertaking, 
as he explained, " this long and troublesome journey '^ 
for the purpose of arranging a definite and final un- 
derstanding with the English. All the points in con- 
troversy were reviewed, and at last it was agreed that 
the question in dispute should be submitted to four 
commissioners, two to be appointed by each party. 
Stuyvesant chose two Englishmen, citizens of Man- 
hattan, to act for him. 

The decision of this commission was that the 
Dutch should retain their lands in Hartford (trading 
post only), and that the bounda^'y between the two 
colonies should be a line drawn across Long Island 
from the west side of Oyster Bay to the sea; also a 
line from the west side of Greenwich Bay, north 
twenty miles and after that, not less than ten miles 
from the Hudson river*. 

Fort Nassau and New Sweden. — In July, 1651, 

* It will be noticed that this line north of the 
Sound is substantially the division between the States 
to-day. 



1655] THEl^HAiiTFORD Tbeaty; Fort Casimer 81 



Stuyvesant ^weiit to 'New Sweden to look after the 
interests of the West India Company on the Delaware. 
He visited Fort Nassau (see page 62), and, finding it 
too far up the river fur any practical purpose, he had 
it demolished and caused another to be constructed on 
lands purchased of the Indians, just below the Swed- 
ish Fort Christina near the present site of Xew Castle. 
This he named Fort Casimer. 

Stuyvesant's action brought on a crisis. Three 
years later, in 1654, the government of Sweden sent 
over a strong force under command of a new gover- 
nor, John Rising. These appeared before Fort Casi- 
mer on Trinity Sunday. The Dutch commander had 
no means of defence, so he walked out, leaving the 
gates of the fort wide open. The Swedes occupied it, 
and called it Fort Trinity. 

Recapture of Fort Casimer. — When the news of 
this event reached Stuyvesant he was expecting an 
attack from an English force, and was perplexed as to 
what course of action he should follow. The English 
did not come; Stuyvesant was therefore ordered by 
the states-general to re-take Fort Casimer, and en- 
tirely destroy the power of the Swedes on both sides 
of the Delaware. In September, 1655, the governor 
sailed from Xew Amsterdam for the Delaware with a 
fleet of seven ships and seven hundred men. The 
landing was made near Fort Christina. Stuyvesant 
placed a force between the iwo forts and demanded the 
surrender of I'ort Casimer and all forts in the colony. 
The demand was soon complied with, and the rule of 
the Swedes on the Delaware was ended. The next day, 
Sunday, Dominie Megapolensis, who had accompanied 



82 Governor Stuyy?:sant [Period III 

the expedition, preached a sermon to the troops, and 
Stuyvesant despatched an account of his bloodless 
victory to Manhattan and ordered a day of thanks- 
giving. 

The biirglier act. — When, in answer to the memo- 
rial of 1649, the states-general had directed the estab- 
lishment of a burgher government at Manhattan, it was 
intended that this should be done at once. 

Opposed as this concession was both by the directors 
of the AVest India Company, who saw in it their ulti- 
mate downfall, and by Governor Stuyvesant, who op- 
posed it on principle, it was too much to suppose that 
it would be done while it could on any excuse be de- 
layed. Three years had now passed during which the 
people had continued to plead for their rights. At 
last the company yielded, and in April, 1652, it was 
directed that the citizens be allowed to elect two bur- 
gomasters, five schepens, and a schout* "as much as 
possible after the custom in Amsterdam." 

These officers were to constitute a municipal court 
of justice, subject only to the right of appeal to the 
supreme court of the province. The concession for 
which the people had so long prayed had been granted, 
and there was general satisfaction over the event. The 
joy with which it was heralded was somewhat cooled, 
when on Candlemas day, February 2, 1653, the day the 
new government was to be established, Stuyvesant to 
whom self-government was an unknown term, himself 

* A burgomaster was a governing magistrate ; a schepen 
was an alderman, and a schout was a prosecuting attor- 
ney, a judge, and a sheriff. 



1653] Mai^hattan becomes New Amsterdam 83 

named the municipal officers, and defined their duties. 
At the same time he informed those worthies that their 
existence did not in any way limit his powers. 

Manhattan becomes the city of New Amsterdam, 

1653. — A few days afterward, the newly appointed 
officers met and gave notice that their ordinary meet- 
ings would be held every Monday morning at nine 
o'clock, in the building hitherto called the " City Tav- 
ern and now known as the Stadt Huys or City Hall ". 
A solemn form of prayers was adopted with which 
their meetings were thereafter to be opened, a record 
book was prepared, and the village of Manhattan had 
become the city of New Amsterdam. 

The colonies prepare for war. — It is easy now to 
see how rapidly events were drifting toward the final 
overthrow of the Dutch power in America. In 1653 
England and Holland were again at war. Stuyvesant 
proposed to the English colonies that the commercial 
relations which had existed between them and New 
Netherland should continue; but at the same time he 
prepared for possible war by strengthening the forti- 
fications and compelling people of all classes to mount 
guard and be ready to defend the city day or night. 

The New Englanders had received a report from 
some mischief-maker that Stuyvesant was inciting the 
Indians in their colonies to re-open hostilities. This 
was denied by the Indian chiefs, but the denial did 
not satisfy the English, and they determined that 
Stuyvesant must answer for himself. For this pur- 
pose a peace commission was appointed to go to New 
Amsterdam and question the governor, but at the 



84 Governor Stuytesant [Period III 

same time an expedition against the Dutch was made 
ready, " in case God called the colonists to war." 

John Leverett, one of the peace commissioners, had 
been chosen to command the expedition on his return. 
It was evident that these commissioners were not anx- 
ious to bring about a settlement, and nothing came of 
their mission. After much parlying, and a warning to 
Governor Stuyvesant, not to " offer any injury to any 
English in these parts" the commission departed for 
Plymouth. 

The general conyention of 1653.— This meeting 
sprang from two causes: First, the contention between 
the Dutch and English on Long Island; second, op- 
position of all parties to what they were pleased to call 
"the arbitrary conduct of the governor". 

It was the most important convention that had ever 
been held in Xew Xetherland. It met at Xew Amster- 
dam, Dec. 10, 1653. Xineteen delegates were present 
from eight villages. The principal action of this con- 
vention was the preparation of an address setting forth 
their complaints, which may be summarized as follows: 

1. The establishment of an arbitrary government is 
feared. 

2. The provincial government does not protect the 
people against the savages. 

3. Officers and magistrates are appointed without 
the consent of the people. 

4. Old orders and proclamations of the director 
and council, of which the people are ignorant, are 
forced upon them. 

1. Promised patents on which improvements have 
been made are delayed. 



1653] Threaten^ed War WITH New England 85 

6. Large grants of lands have been made to 
favorites. 

Stuyvesant's answer. — To this indictment Stuy- 
vesant made a lengthy answer, showing how much had 
already been granted, charging the people with ingrati- 
tude, and telling them he derived his power "from 
God and the company". He then ordered them to 
disperse, on pain of his "highest displeasure". 

The people again sent their complaints to the states- 
general, this time by the hand of Francois C. Bleeuw, 
an advocate. 

Gradually small concessions were now made; grudg- 
ingly by the company, grumblingly by Stuyvesant ; but 
until 1658 were the burghers and schepens appointed 
from the men selected by the municipality, and it was 
two years later still that the people were allowed to 
elect their own schout. 

The New England colonies threaten war. — Most 
startling rumors now disturbed Kew Amsterdam. In 

1663 it was reported that an 
English fleet would soon come 
to subdue New Ketherland. 
The New England colonies 
were at once aroused and pre- 
pared to join in an expedition 
against the Dutch. They en- 
trusted the command of their 
forces to Miles Standish and 

Oliver Cromwell, 1599-1658: Captain ThomaS Willctt (the 

PROTECTOR 1653-1658 latter being one of the men 

whom Stuyvesant had so generously chosen as his 




86 



GovEKNOR Stuyyesant [Period III 




Charles II, 1630-1685: 
Reigned 1661-1685 



agents to negotiate the Hartford treaty). There were 
grounds for this rumor, for at that very time the plot 
against Holland was being matured. 

Cromwell had in 1654 made a treaty of peace with 
Holland and this had been 
observed by both countries 
until the accession of Charles 
II to the throne of his father 
in 1660. One of Charles's 
first acts was to send as a min- 
ister to The Hague George 
Downing, who had lived in 
Massachusetts, and had been 
educated at Cambridge. He 
was ambitious and unscrupu- 
lous. He went to Holland fully charged with hate 
against the Dutch colony and intent on accomplishing 
its ruin. In the same year Charles added more stringent 
regulations to the enforcement of the] first navigation 
act of Cromwell's administration, which aimed a direct 
blow at the commerce of Holland aud her colonies. For 
two years a treaty of commercial alliance was in nego- 
tiation between the two countries. After many days 
this was signed at Whitehall, September 14, 1662. 

The Dutch accepted the terms of this treaty in good 
faith and loyally carried out their part. King Charles, 
however, entirely ignoring this transaction, at once 
granted to Connecticut a charter which included all 
the territory from Xarragansett Bay westward to the 
Pacific ocean. He thus set aside the treaty of Hart- 
ford (1650) and gave to Connecticut the very heart of 
New Netherland. For a year Stuyvesant carried on 



1663] Difficulties Multiply 87 

negotiations with the Xew England colonies in a sin- 
cere effort to bring about a settlement, but to no 
purpose. 

Trouble with the Esopus Indians. — The Dutch 
had for a year been carrying on war with the Indians 
about Esopus. These savages had given trouble be- 
fore, but a peace had been made with them and for 
three years the village had prospered. 

In June, 1663, with scarcely any warning they were 
again on the "warpath". They burned the village 
of Esopus, murdered a large number of the inhabi- 
tants, and carried away many women and children. 
A party of friendly Mohawks interfered and recovered 
a part of the captives. Then an expedition was sent 
out against the Indians and after four months of de- 
termined warfare they were at length subdued. 

Stuyvesant asks advice.— Stuyvesant for the first 
time sought advice from the municipal authorities. 
They loyally supported him, at the same time declar- 
ing that they held the West India Company responsible 
for the troubles of the colony. They recommended 
that the city be completely fortified; that a loan of 
30,000 guilders be raised; and that two hundred militia 
and one hundred and sixty soldiers be enlisted. 

A temporary arrangement was patched up with the 
English in Connecticut and on Long Island, but the con- 
ditions were so serious that the burgomasters advised 
that a " Landt-tag " or assembly be called. 

The " Landt-tag " of 1664. Close of Stuy ve- 
sant's rule. — On April 10, 1664, the delegates met 
in the city hall. Eepresentatives appeared from New 



88 Governor Stuyvesant [Period III 

Amsterdam, Rensselaerwick, Fort Orange, Breuckelen, 
Midwout, Xew Utrecht, New Haerlem, Bergen, and 
Staten Island, Governor Stuvyesant met with them. 
The assembly thought it the duty of the provincial gov- 
ernment to protect the people against the Indians and 
*' those malignant English". Stuyvesant informed 
them that the government of New Amsterdam had 
even exceeded its powers in that direction. He also 
stated that the company had already expended 1,200,- 
000 guilders more than it had received. 

The assembly being unable to suggest a remedy 
adjourned for one week. Meantime the states-general 
for the first time took action. That body promised 
intervention at London against the encroachments of 
the English. While this was in progress, a treaty was 
ratified with the Esopus Indians. Everything seemed 
to be so serene that the assembly again adjourned, and 
the governor proclaimed another day of thanksgiving. 
A montli later, King Charles made his grant to his 
dissolute brother, the Duke of York. 

Thus were the last days of Stuyvesant's administra- 
tion mainly taken up with the petty cares of his office. 
The people of New Amsterdam still persistently de- 
manded the possession of those political rights to 
which they felt themselves entitled, but the fulfillment 
of which he had as persistently obstructed. 

SUMMARY. — THE LAST DUTCH GOA^ERNOR 

1. Character of Governor Stuyvesant. 

2. His duties. The condition of the colony. 

3. The demands of the people. 

4. The first popular meeting. 



1664] Summary of his Administration 89 

5. The "nine men"; how chosen; their duties. 

6. Stuyvesant's intolerance. 

7. The "memorial of 1649"; its demands. 

8. Effect of memorial in Holland. 

9. Action of the states-general. 

10. Better regulations in New Amsterdam. 

11. The Hartford treaty, 1650. Result of. The 
line drawn. 

12. Fort Nassau and the Swedes. Fort Casimer. 

13. Stuyvesant on the Delaware, 1655. 

14. The burgher act ; nature of. 

15. Stuyvesant's action. 

16. City of New Amsterdam, 1653. 

17. Dominie Megapolensis. 

18. The New England peace commission. 

19. The convention of 1653. Object of. 

20. The address ; its nature. 

21. Stuyvesant's answer. 

22. King Charles II and New Netherland. 

23. The l^Jsopus Indians. 

24. The Landt-tag of 1664; character and object of. 

25. Its recommendations. 



CHAPTER VIII 
New York in Stuyvesant's Time 

The city, which then contained a population of less 
than a thousand, would not be recognized by the most 
loyal New Yorker of to-day. The houses were mainly 
clustered about the fort, rather than arranged on 
streets. Such streets as existed were narrow, crooked, 
unpaved, without sidewalks, and not lighted at night. 
Broadway was a country road, straying north from the 
battery, up hill and down dale, until it was lost in the 
forests which still covered most of the island. The 
fort was not a formidable affair, but was built for pro- 
tection against too familiar Indian neighbors. 

Bricks were still brought from Holland, and were so 
costly that for the most part the houses were constructed 
of wood, many of these having the imposing front and 
steep gables of yellow brick, after the fashion then 
common in Holland. The roofs of the poorer houses 
were of thatch, others of shingles, a few of tiles. 

The front door was made of oak, often in two parts, 
an upper and a lower, and ornamented with a great 
brass knocker in the shape of a dog's or lion's head, 
which must be burnished every day. 

Inside the house, the most prominent features were 
the sanded floors of hewn oak, the great yawning fire- 
places, the heavy carved furniture, the high-posted 
beds, the tall Dutch clock, the great cupboards filled 

(90) 



1650] The Minister and the Schoolmaster 91 

with Delft ware, — never brought out except on state 
occasions. The most important room in the house 
was the great kitchen, really the living room of the 
family, where the women worked by day and where 
the men gathered to smoke at evening. 

The people were simple in their tastes, their living 
was plain, their food wholesome and abundant. Labor 
was honorable, and idleness was accounted a crime. 
If the income was small, the expenditures were less. 
The women were particularly domestic ; and every house-^ 
wife was expected to know how to card wool and flax, 
to spin, to weave, to bake and brew. 

There were few who could not read and write; edu- 
cation if not broad was general. Schools were com- 
mon, and were free. President Draper says of the 
Dutch: " They were free, and had celebrated their 
greatest military victories by founding universities, 
and they had opened elementary schools for the rich 
and the poor together." Motley says of Holland: " It 
was a land where every child went to school ; where 
almost every individual inhabitant could read and 
write." 

Into New Netherland the minister and the school- 
master came together. The people had few books, 
but the family bible and prayer-book were in every 
house. 

All in all, it is probable that the early Dutch col- 
onists left as marked and as healthful an impress on 
the character ot* New York as did the Puritans on 
the character of New England. To them the home 
was the foundation-stone of the State. In those early 
homes dwelt virtue, honesty, industry, frugal ty, and 



92 New York in^ Stutvesant's Time [Period III 

loyalty; and it is these qualities in the hearts of her 
citizens, not great navies nor high battlements, that are 
the strength of a State. 

The simple habits of the people gave them more 
leisure than their descendants have known, and this 
often gave the impression that they were indolent. 
Their housekeepers were as neat as those of Xew Eng- 
land, but their more quiet ways gave time for repose 
and sociability. 

In their observance of the Sabbath they were quite 
as strict as were the Puritans, but in a different way. 
No work must be done and all must go to church; but 
they had no " Blue Laws ", and could enjoy them- 
selves, even on that day. 

Christmas early became a deeply religious festival, 
but was at the same time a merry-making day. St. 
Nicholas's image was the figure-head of the first emi- 
grant ship that came to New Netherland, and for him 
they named the first church they built. 

Much was made of New Year's day. Visits were 
exchanged and receptions held, when cake and wine 
were offered to every guest. 

In the church, a pew was set apart for the city 
officials. Early on Sabbath morning those good men 
gathered at the city hall, from which, preceded by the 
bell-ringer with their cushions, they went in solemn 
procession to the church. 

The bell-ringer was, perhaps, the most useful man 
in town, as he certainly was one of the most important 
in appearance. He was a court oflficial, the chorister 
and reader at church, the grave-digger and sometimes 
the schoolmaster; while in addition to these duties he 



1650] Religious Tolerance 93 

was a general waiter and factotum for the city magis- 
trates. Those Dutch officials were serious men, and 
could no more approve a joke than could a Puritan 
minister. Their meetings were first opened with 
solemn prayer, and they then proceeded to levy taxes, 
impose fines, and lecture the governor. 

Dutch tolerance. — In religious matters, the early 
Dutch acknowledged but one church, the " Reformed 
Church of Holland ", and but one ecclesiastical author- 
ity, the " Synod of Dort", but in practice they toler- 
ated all. 

Until Stuyvesant's time there was no proscription, 
and even he was rebuked for his interference. As a 
natural result, many who could not endure the strict 
Puritanical discipline of Xew England fled to Xew 
Amsterdam. Hither came Anabaptists and Quakers, 
Catholics and Huguenots, and all were made welcome. 

New Amsterdam contained as great a mixture of 
races as of religions. While the Plymouth colony 
would not permit an Irishman even to land on their 
shores, he passed into New Amsterdam unquestioned. 
Father Jogues, who visited New Amsterdam at this 
time, said he had counted 18 languages among its 
residents. 

The Waldenses. — It has been said that God sifted 
the old world to obtain seed with which to plant the 
new. It would seem that in the seventeenth century 
all the monarchs of Europe were insane in their 
efforts to drive from their possessions the people who 
were most needed here. The English Puritans came, 
and were followed almost immediately by the Walloons, 



94 New York ix Stuya^p:sant's Time [Period III 

who may well be called the French " Pilgrims ", for 
like the Puritans they fled from the country of their 
birth to find a refuge in Holland, and like them crossed 
the ocean to find a home m the American wilderness. 

In 1657, hundreds of Waldenses, escaping from per- 
secution, left the mountain valleys of Piedmont to 
find a welcome and a home in Xew Netherland. Many 
of these went to the Delaware, but others located on 
Staten Island and Long Island where their descendants 
have since remained. 

The Huguenots. — The same description with 
change of name would answer for the Huguenots. 
They were French adherents to the cause of the Refor- 
mation, and as such were subjected to the severest 
persecution from 1560 to the promulgation of the 
"Edict of Xantes ", in 1598. During these years 
hundreds of thousands of the very best citizens of 
France fled to England, Germany, Holland, the West 
Indies, and to Xew York and the southern colonies, 
while many thousands more had been put to death. 
From 1598 to 1685 they were allowed comparative 
peace and security, but in the latter year, Louis XIY 
revoked the famous edict. Again the fires of persecu- 
tion blazed forth, again the exodus began and continued 
until France had lost fully one million of her very 
best people. 

Many of these French Protestants located in Xew 
Xetherland. They settled Xew Rochelle and other 
early towns, bringing with them, as the Waldenses had 
done, the church and the school, and names that, 
somewhat modified, are to-day found scattered all over 
our State. 



1657] A Blending of Peoples 95 

New Netherland and New England. — It will not 
do to draw the inference that Dutch ideals were the 
best, for the tide of English immigration which came in 
later very materially changed the conditions there. It 
would no doubt be nearer the truth to say that the 
blending of the two peoples in the future metropolis 
of this hemisphere, by restraining the one and liberaliz- 
ing the other, produced a more desirable, because a 
more rational type of civilization. 

N"ew England has produced a remarkable race of 
men, not because of her narrowness but in spite of it, 
and because of the character and enviornment of her 
early settlers. I^ew N^etherland produced a people 
different in almost every trait of character, but more 
in harmony with the lines along which our country 
has developed. 

Why New Netherland failed as a Dntch col- 
ony. — New Netherland was a purely commercial en- 
terprise, founded by a commercial company, for com- 
mercial purposes, and was governed from Holland for 
the benefit of the company that founded it. The 
people were always loyal to their fatherland, never to 
the corporation that ruled them ; and of all the agents 
sent out as governors, not one secured the confidence 
of the people. The taxes paid by the colonists were 
heavy, and were neither voted by themselves nor paid 
out by their direction. 

Personal enterprise was not fostered, for it would 
interfere with the company's gains. The common 
people were not in sympathy with the baronial rights 
given the patroons. The English colonies were for 
the most part purely English, but New Netherland 



96 Xew York ix Stuyvesant's Time [Period III 

was cosmopolitan, the greater religious freedom there 
having united men of all nationalities. This last, aa 
element of weakness then, has, in late years, con- 
tributed to make a State which has both fostered liberty 
and compelled prosperity. 

SUMMARY 

1. Xew York in Governor Stuyvesant's time. The 
houses, their furnishings, the people; education, cus- 
toms; religious toleration. 

2. Comparison between the Dutch and the New 
Englanders. 

3. The Waidenses ; origin, character, and emigration. 

4. The Huguenots; origin, character, and emigra- 
tion. 

5. Why Xew X^'etherland failed. 



CHAPTER IX 




Louis XIV, 1638-1715 
Reigned 1643-1715 



The Crime against Holland 

Charles II of England. — At this period, all 
Europe was on the brink of 
most bloody wars. Louis 
XIV, of whom it has been said 
"there was stuff enough in 
him to make four kings and 
an honest man", was king 
of France, but he swayed 
one-half of Europe. 

Among all who came un- 
der his influence there was 
not a meaner nor a more 
insincere monarch than Charles II of England. An 
exile and a wanderer for many years, he had at thirty 
been recalled and placed upon the throne. He brought 
with him no proper sense of his position, and his reign 
was the most execrable in the history of England. 

James Duke of York. — There was at this time no 
real ministry in England. All her foreign affairs were 
managed by a council appointed by the king, while 
parliament was even worse than the king himself. 
Charles II had a brother, James Duke of York and 
Albany, afterward James II, who, although having 
more ability, was even more unscrupulous. His chief 
passion was a burning hatred for Holland. 

(97) 




•98 The Crime against Holland [Period III 

The Dutch West India Company had one rival, the 
Royal African Company, 
and of this company James 
was governor. 

Several motives were be- 
hind the proposed over- 
throw of Dutch interests 
in America. The immedi- 
ate excuse was the loss to 
the revenue of the English 
James 1171633-1701 colonics by the Smuggling 

Reigned 1685-1688 practicCS of the Dutch. 

^ext, the Duke of York could pay a long standing 
grudge against the West India Company. 

A third motive, which influenced the mind of James 
and in time governed the actions of Charles (who 
must be a partner, must sanction the crime and fur- 
nish the necessary force of English ships and sailors) 
Was found in the colonial conditions of America. 

France was the pioneer. She had pushed her way 
up the St. Lawrence, and planted her settlements 
thickly along its banks. England had prosperous col- 
onies in Virginia, and along the Xew England coast. 
Between these, as a wedge, lay New Netherland, 
occupying by far the most advantageous portion of all. 
It boldly laid claim to all the coast from Cape Hen- 
lopen to Montauk Point, and was in a position to secure 
the lion's share of the inland trade with the natives. 
Charles II saw that the safety of the English posses- 
sions lay in connecting them all from Massachusetts 
Bay to the Potomac. 

The claims of different nations by right of discovery 



1661] CoNFLiCTr:N^G ClxVims of :N"ations 99 

also conflicted. Spain, by right of Columbus's dis- 
coveries claimed it all. England claimed most of 
North America from the voyages of the Cabots. But 
occupancy as well as discovery had been held necessary 
to confer a valid right. James I in granting his patent 
in 1620, including all the territory between 40° and 
48° of latitude, had in that charter explicitly stated 
that it was not to " include any territory actually 
possessed by any other Christian nation, prince, or 
estate," and thus he clearly excepted both New France 
and New Netherland. 

No Englishman had entered the Connecticut river 
or the Delaware bay when Hudson's discoveries and 
Dutch occupancy were put forth as a valid claim to 
the territory of New Netherland, and for forty years 
the Dutch had been practically in indisputed posses- 
sion. - 

Thus the case stood when Charles II was restored 
to the throne. He had no sympathy with the New 
England colonists; his restoration had been a serious 
disappointment to them. Sorely against their will 
they had acknowledged him king, yet Charles II did 
not hesitate to make use of the differences between 
these colonists and New Netherland, as one ground 
for the claim which he proposed to put forth. He 
was not seeking for truth, but for a suitable pretext to 
seize New Netherland. 

Expedition against New Netherland. — At the 

risk of war with a friendly nation, in controvention to 
the charter granted to New England by James I, an 
expedition against New Netherland was ordered. The 
Duke was given a patent to appoint and discharge all 



100 The Crime against Holland [Period Til 

officers; to execute martial laws; to regulate trade, 
and to expel all persons living under his government 
without license. In fact, this patent created James a 
petty sovereign over the liv^es and property of a people 
who rightfully owed allegience to another free and 
independent power. 

Charles had no more title to these lands than had 
the devil to " all the kingdoms of the earth ", but in 
those days " might made right", and Charles gave to 
brother, Duke of York, "all those lands and rivers 
from the west side of Connecticut river to the east 
side of Delaware bay"*. The Duke lost no time in 
giving effect to his patent. 

In August, 1664, four ships with 450 soldiers under 
command of Robert Nicolls were sent to enforce the 
claim. Governor Stuyvesant was thrown off his 
guard by a despatch from Holland informing him that 
no danger was to be apprehended from the expedition, 
as it had been sent out only "to settle the affairs of 
the English colonists, and to establish Episcopacy", 
which would be a benefit to the interests of ]^ew 
Xetherland. 

The English squadron anchored below the N^arrows ; 
communication with Xew Amsterdam was cut off, and 
several block houses were seized. Stuyvesant, hur- 
riedly returning from an absence at Fort Orange, 
demanded of Xicolls what the invasion meant. His 
only reply was a demand for the surrender of the place. 

* This included the whole of Xew Netherland and 
a part of Connecticut, which Charles had two years 
before confirmed to Winthrop and his associates. 



1664] Xew Amsterdam becomes New York 101 

This was accompanied by a proclamation declaring 
that all who would submit to his "majesty's govern- 
ment" should be "protected by his majesty's laws 
and justice, and peaceably enjoy their property." 
Stuyvesant kept these terms from the people and pre- 
pared to defend himself. A meeting of the burgomas- 
ters and citizens being called, the terms became known, 
and the people showed that they did not intend to 
stand by the governor. Indeed, some of them said 
the Dutch West India Company was not worth fight- 
ing for. The next day Governor Winthrop of Con- 
necticut appeared and advised Stuyvesant to surrender. 

It was evident that he stood alone. Men, women, 
and children flocked around and urged him to give up. 
His only answer was, " I would rather be carried out 
dead! " All his soldierly spirit rebelled at the thought 
of surrender. But dominies, schouts, burgomasters, 
schepens, and eighty-five of the principal citizens, 
among them his own son, joined in an appeal to him 
not to bring bloodshed upon the city, and at last the 
old veteran yielded. On the following Monday morn- 
ing, August 26, 1664, Stuyvesant, at the head of his 
little garrison, marched down to the water side and 
embarked for Holland. The English flag was hoisted 
over Fort Amsterdam and the name was changed to 
Fort James. Mcalls was proclaimed "governor for 
the Duke of York", and it was directed that there- 
after the city of New Amsterdam should be called 
New York. 

The reduction of other settlements rapidly followed. 
Fort Orange soon capitulated, and its name was 
changed to Albany. The Swedish settlements on the 



102 The Crime agaij^st Holland [Period III 

Delaware gave more trouble, but were finally subdued. 

All this was done while England and Holland were 
at peace. Judged by all righteous standards, it was 
a monstrous national robbery, with hardly a parallel 
in modern history. Yet out of it all came, in process 
of time, a higher good not contemplated by those who 
wrought the crime; this was the final unification of all 
the American colonies in preparation for the great 
struggle with England, when should be formed a new 
nation, combining within its govenment all that was 
best in the constitutions of the old. 

Governor Stuyvesant, after his return from Holland, 
where he answered every charge against him, settled 
upon his estate on East River. He lived to an ad- 
vanced age. His remains lie in the venerable church 
of St. Marks in the City of ^"ew York^. 

SUMMARY. — THE CRIME AGAINST HOLLAND 

1. King Charles 11. His character. 

2. James Duke of York. His character. 

3. Motives for the overthrow of Dutch authority in 
America. 

4. Importance of Isew Xetherland to England. 

5. Charles's grant to the Duke. 

6. Its conflict with the charter of Connecticut. 

7. The expedition and its commander, 1664. 

8. The surrender of New Xetherland. 

9. The dark side, the bright side, of the change. 
10. Death of Stuyvesant. 

* For a picture of his tombstone, see Hendrick's 
History, page 25. 



PERIOD IV 



CHAPTER X 

Tn^ew York a Ducal Province 

Governor Nicolls. — ^^ew Xetherland having been 
formally surrendered to the English, the new provin- 
cial government, of Xew York was organized with 
Richard Xicolls as chief magistrate. In justice to the 
governor it should be said he proceeded wisely. He 
continued the courts which "the Dutch had established 
and gradually founded English settlements on Long 
Island. 

By the terms of the surrender he was bound only as 
follows: " All inhabitants of Xew Netherland were to 
be free denizens " and were to be secure in their prop- 
erty; any Hollander might come into the colony freely 
or return home and carry his property with him ; inter- 
course with Holland was for six months to continue as 
heretofore; liberty of church and conscience was guar- 
anteed; all present public records were to be respected; 
all inferior officers were to retain their present posi- 
tions until the customary time for elections. 

The citizens were required to take an oath of alle- 
giance to the English king, which they were quite will- 
ing to do; the burgomasters consoling themselves by 
sending to the West India Company, as a sort of " fare- 

(103) 



104 Governor Xicolls [Period IV 

well greeting ", a letter giving an account of the 
change in their government, and ending as follows: 

" Since we are no longer to depend on your honor's 
promises or protection, we, with all the poor, sorrowing 
and abandoned commonalty must fly to Almighty God, 
not doubting but he will stand by us in this sorely 
afflicting conjuncture." 

The new goyernment. — In February, 1665, the 
new municipal government was appointed by the 
retiring members. The burgomasters and schepens 
were all Dutch citizens, but out of compliment to the 
governor, they made Allard Anthony schout; while 
Nicolls, on his part named as the first mayor. Cap- 
tain Thomas Willett, who had already been conspicuous 
in the affairs of the colony. 

The Duke's laws. — In 1665 the governor called 
the council together and read to them what were there- 
after known as the " Duke's Laws ". The members 
of the council took it for granted that they were to be 
consulted in regard to this " code ", but when any one 
proposed an amendment, he learned that he had been 
invited to hear the laws, not to amend them. 

The "Duke's Laws" were compiled chiefly from 
those in use in other English colonies. They covered 
a very wide field, applying to every occupation and 
crime. They regulated the administration of estates, 
methods of worship, the relation of master and ser- 
vant, tlie conveyance of real estate, and prescribed 
days of fasting and thanksgiving. They ordered the 
punishment for assault, defamation, forgery, " lyi ug 
and false news", and defined twelve other crimes 
which were to be punishable by death. 



1668] New Jeksey SEPARATED EROM New York 105 

They also established four principles which have 
remained to this day a part of the fundamental law of 
the State: 

1. Equal taxation. 

2. Eight of trial by jury. 

3. The obligation of military duty. 

4. Freedom of religious worship. 

Separation of New Jersey. — Before the Duke of 
York was in actual possession of his newly and easily 
acquired territory, he granted to Lord Berkeley and 
Sir George Carteret, two royal favorites, the land 
within the present boundaries of New Jersey, thus 
separating the colonies established there from the 
future State of New York. 

Governor Nicolls recalled, 1668. — The task 
which Nicolls had undertaken was a very diflticult one. 
In his honest efforts to win the regard of the Dutch, 
he offended many of the English citizens, and they 
constantly wearied him with complaints. 

When he had governed New York four years, he 
wrote to both the King and the Duke, begging to be 
relieved of an office "which", he said, "he had in 
his ignorance undertaken, which had kept him more 
bus^ than any former position, and which had drawn 
from his purse every dollar he possessed." 

His request was granted. In the same year Francis 
Lovelace was commissioned to succeed him. England 
and Holland had been at war during almost the entire 
period of Nicolls's administration, yet he had so con- 
ducted himself that he had won the personal regard of 



106 Xew York a Ducal Province [Period IV 

the people and they expressed much regret at his 
departure ^. 

Witchcraft in New York. — While Xicolls was 
governor, there occured the only recorded trial for 
witchcraft within our State. This was in 1605. Ralph 
Hull and Mary his wife were charged with " certain 
detestable acts commonly called ' witchcraft ', whereby 
two or three persons have lost their lives." 

The duke's laws did not mention the crime of witch- 
craft, so the unfortunate couple were indicted for 
*' murder by means of witchcraft ". They were tried 
by a jury of twelve (one of whom was Jacob Leisler, 
so prominent in later provincial matters). The verdict 
of the jury was that they found " some suspicions of 
what the woman is charged with but not enough to 
take away her life ". They declared the man not guilty 
and required him to " give security for his wife's good 
behavior thereafter". 

Holland's protest. — The high-handed proceedings 
of England could have but one outcome ; that was war. 
New Xetherland had been a proprietory colony owned 
and governed by the West India Company. The 
states-general had taken almost no part in its manage- 

* During Xicolls's term of office one matter very 
important to Xew York was settled. Connecticut 
claimed the eastern half of Long Island. Charles 
had by name included the whole of it in his gift to the 
Duke. In 1664 Nicolls secured the appointment of a 
commission to meet one from Connecticut, by which 
all the history of that island was carefully reviewed. 
The commission decided that Long Island should go 
to New York. 



1668] Holland's Protest 107 

ment since the day when, in 1621, it had given that 
company its sweeping charter. 

At the time it lost these American possessions, the 
West India Company was practically bankrupt, Never- 
theless its directors at once complained to the states- 
general, and this body, through its ministers at the 
court of St. James, protested against the robbery as a 
" notorious infraction of the treaty just concluded". 
The king could give no truthful answer to the charge 
unless he confessed the wrong. This a monarch of 
his character could hardly be expected to do. So he 
wrote his creature at The Hague, Downing, to say to 
the Dutch that he was not accountable to them for 
what he did. 

On receipt of this impudent answer, word was at 
once despatched to Commodore De Ruyter, who com- 
manded the Dutch squadron on the coast of Africa to 
reduce all English possessions there, and on his way 
home "to do as much damage as possible on said 
nation anywhere ". 

The Duke of York was admiral of the English navy. 
In the first engagement with the Dutch he gained an 
important victory. Returning to London in great 
triumph, he had a medal struck off which bore the 
inscription, "7 claim the four seas.''^ 

At this point, Louis of France undertook the difficult 
role of peacemaker. To the Dutch, he frankly ac- 
knowledged the justice of their claim to Xew Nether- 
land. To Charles, he proposed that it should be 
restored to Holland in exchange for certain small 
islands which had been taken from him. This proposi-^ 



108 New York a Ducal Province [Period IV 

tion Charles spurned, and all efforts for peace were 
ended. 

The triple alliance^ 1666. — Holland now formed 
an alliance with France and Sweden against England, 
and once more war raged on all the duke's " Four 
Seas". Some of the greatest naval battles of history 
were fought, in which England's fleets were nearly 
destroyed, so that Charles was willing to treat for peace. 

On July 31, 1667, the famous treaty known as the 
"Peace of Breda" was signed, in which France 
secured the lion's share of all concessions and from 
which Holland gained little except a brief respite 
from war. 

SUMMARY — NEW YORK A DUCAL PROVINCE 

1. Xicolls the first English governor, 1664. 

2. Terms of the surrender. 

3. Character of the new government. 

4. The Duke's Laws, origin of. 

5. Four principles established. 

6. Royal grants; New Jersey. 

7. The governor's complaint and recall. 

8. Witchcraft in Xew York. 

9. The Long Island commission. 

10. Holland's protest to England. 

11. English reply. 

12. The Duke's Four Seas. 

13. The Triple Alliance, 1666. 

14. The Peace of Breda. 



CHAPTER XI 

]S[ew Yokk once more under iHE Dutch 

Peace of Breda broken^ 1670. — A secret treaty 
l^etween Charles II and Louis XIV made in 1670 again 
united England and France for the ruin of Holland. 
Her fleets were defeated and her territory invaded by 
the armies of the allied monarchs. It was then that 
William, the valiant young Prince of Orange was 
made commander-in-chief and by his stirring ap- 
peals, once more gave heart to the people of Holland. 
Then it was that the sluices were opened. Holland 
again became a sea, and the allied armies were com- 
pelled to retreat. Then, too, occurred that memorable 
battle off the mouth of the Helder, when 75 Dutch 
ships engaged 150 French and English vessels in a 
contest which lasted all day. Within hearing of the 
^uns, the people of Holland met in their churches and 
prayed for victory, till the allied fleets had been de- 
feated and Holland had won her second independence, 
— the right to navigate all the seas unmolested. 

It was while these great events were taking place 
that a Dutch fleet under Cornelius Evartson had been 
sent to the West Indies with orders to "harass the 
English in those parts ". 

Having completed his work, he sailed for Virginia, 
when it was suggested that now was a good time to 
recover New Netherland. 

(109) 



110 Again under the Dctch [Period IV 

A Dutch fleet at New York, 1673.— In a few days 
this fleet with 1600 men on board was inside Sandy 
Hook. The next day it appeared before Xew York 
and demanded its surrender. The governor, Lovelace ^ 
was absent on a visit to Governor Winthrop of Connecti- 
cut and Captain John Manning Avas in command. He 
promptly sent for the governor, beat an alarm, and 
called for volunteers to defend the fort. Few came 
and some of the Dutch even spiked the guns in front 
of the city hall. In his extremity, Manning sent to 
inquire the purpose of the Dutch commander. " We 
have come to claim our own, and our own we wi]l 
have," was the ready reply. 

The Dutch re-take New York, 1673.— Soon 600 
men were landed above the town, where they were 
joined by 400 Dutch citizens in arms, who encouraged 
them to storm the fort. They were preparing to do 
this when Manning offered to surrender, provided his 
troops were allowed to march out with the honors of 
war. This was granted. The English marched out; 
the Dutch marched in. Stuyvesant was avenged. 
The wrongs of the fatherland had been righted. Xew 
Xetherland had been re- taken in honorable warfare. 

The \Yest India Company having had no part in the 
matter, the colony was no longer a proprietary prov- 
ince, but part and parcel of the Dutch Eepublic. 

Eightly its captors in defining its bounds included 
just what had been theirs at the time of its loss, not 
a foot more, except the eastern portion of Long Island. 
They thus respected the treaty of 1650. The joyful 
cry, " The fatherland " was again heard. The name 
"Xew Xetherland " was restored. Xew York city 



1673] Incident might have been an Event 11 1 

was called N"ew Orange, and Fort James was named 
Fort William Headrick in honor of the Prince of 
Orange. A new government was organized with An- 
thony Colve of Zealand at its head as governor. 
Mcholas Bayard, the old city clerk, was restored to his 
office. All persons were declared released from their 
oaths of allegiance to the English crown. The com- 
monalty were required again to nominate men from 
among whom a council might be selected. 

The government of New Orange having been settled, 
a force was sent up the river to obtain the surrender 
of Esopus and Albany, and soon peace reigned over 
the entire colony. 

Fate of Governor Lovelace. — Governor Lovelace 
soon returned, and was at once seized by his creditors 
and put into prison. He was not detained long, for 
he found means to pay his debts and was released. 
Soon after he took his leave for England*. 

Estimate of the act. — It has often been said that 
the re-conquest of Xew Netherland by the Dutch was 
*'but an incident in the progress of a bitter war". 
This is true. It was done by the Dutch fleet entirely 
without orders from the home government; but had 
there been telegraphic communication in those days 
between the two continents, it is easy to see that the 

* On his departure he wrote to Governor Winthrop, 
*'I am now intending for England with all the con- 
veniency I may. Would you be curious to know what 
my losses amount to ? I can in short resolve you. It 
was my all whichever I had been collecting; too great 
to misse in this wilderness." 



112 Again lnder the Dutch [Period IV 

subsequent history of a whole nation might have been 
changed by this "incident"^. 

The rule of Colve was active, but brief. The dream 
of a Dutch Republic in the Xew World was never 
realized. The European war came to a sudden end by 
the treaty of Westminster. With the ambitious Louis 
of France and the unscrupulous Charles II of England 
in league against her, Holland's case was hopeless. 

The treaty of Westminster. — In vain Holland 
made alliances with Spain and Germany. She was 
finally forced to treat with England on the basis of 
" mutual restoration ", and two months after the cap- 
ture, and one month before the news had reached Hol- 
land, February 9, 1674, a treaty had been signed that 
compelled her to surrender New Netherland to 
England f- 

SUMMARY 

1. The peace broken and the war that followed. 

2. Cornelius Evartson and his voyage. 

3. Recapture of Xew Netherland, 1673. 

* Dr. Colden says: "lam informed that when the 
Dutch ships were under Staten Island, they had no 
thought of attempting the re-capture of Xew York, 
but only to take on wood and water ; but being invited 
by the burghers and informed also of the weakness of 
the place, they proceeded to take the fort." 

t The fort and city were taken by the Dutch July 
30, 1673. The province was resigned to Andros by 
Colve Xovember 10, 1674. 



1674] Holland loses ^"^ew York forever 113 

4. Effect of — change of names, etc. 
o. Fate of Governor Lovelace. 

6. Governor Colve. 

7. The treaty of Westminster, 1674, nature and 
effect of. 





CHAPTER XII 

Under the English again 

8ir Edmund Aiidros, 1674.— The first English 
governor sent out after the 
^^'JBjSf^^^ restoration was Edmund An- 

dros. He had already been 
governor of Virginia, was a 
man of great energy, and 
was educated in language 
and art. He had great ca- 
pacity for statesmanship, 
and was ready to serve his 
master, the duke. 

Sir Edmund Andros, 1637-1714 ^^^^^ ^^ ^is administration 

a difficulty arose. The best English lawyers insisted 
rightly that the forcible capture of Xew York by the 
Dutch had extinguished the title of the duke. "A new 
charter was necessary. Charles, therefore, issued a 
new grant conveying the same territory as before, with 
absolute powers of government which did not in any 
way refer to any preceding grants he had made. By 
this very simple process the duke once more came into 
possession of the province of Xew Jersey so recently 
sold to his friends, Berkeley and Cartaret. 

The duke soon found himself in a strange position 
in regard to this grant. The commission to Andros 
comprehended New Jersey, hence Cartaret could claim 

(114) 



1674] 



General Pacification 



115 




no power or authority to govern. Berkeley, seeing he 
was to be cheated, quietly sold 
his half for £1,000. Carta- 
ret stood near the king and 
soon found means to compel 
the Duke to make a new char- 
ter, re-instating him as propri- 
etor of one-half the province, 
known as East Jersey*. 

The duke's instructions to 
Andros were to choose a coun- 
cil, not exceeding ten, who 
should serve during his pleasr 
ure and assist in the administration of the govern- 
ment, to retain in force the laws published by Kicolls, 
and to see that no one was molested in the free exer- 
cise of his religious privileges. 

Under such circumstances, Andros assumed control 
of the government. The people had now become 
accustomed to the change. By the duke's instructions, 
Andros was to pacify every one so far as possible, but 
he was especially directed to collect sufficient duties 
' ' that the duke might be sure of a good revenue therefrom ' ' . 
Andros demanded from the burghers a new oath of 
allegiance to the king. This they refused to take 
unless it should be accompanied by a confirmation of 
religious freedom. Andros in turn declined to grant 
this, and the petitioners were promptly put in prison 

*The province was divided by a line running from 
Little Egg Harbor on the coast to a point in latitude 
41° 40' on the Delaware river, a line which may still 
be traced in the geography of New Jersey. 



110 



Governor Andros 



[Period IV 




Robert Livingston 



on charge of " disturbing the government and endeav- 
oring a rebellion ". They were released only upon 
giving heavy bonds. 

ReneAval of treaty with the Iroquois, 1675. — 

Governor Andros during this 
year visited the Mohawks 
and received from them the 
name of Corlear. The treaty 
of peace with the Iroquois 
was renewed, and a local 
board of commissioners for 
Indian affairs was appointed, 
of which Kobert Livingston 
was a member. 

" Corlear" they told him 
'* was a man of good dispositions and esteemed deare 
amongst us." This was a reference to Arendt Van 
Curler. 

Note. — During Andres's term William Penn secured 
his charter to the State which bears his name. At 
this time, James, the duke, claimed Delaware, and 
Penn's charter was made to begin " twelve miles west 
of Xew Castle Town ". This gave Delaware its 
peculiar circular border on the north. 

Thomas Dongan's administration.— In 1G82, 
Andros was recalled ; and after one year, during which 
Anthony Brockholls was comm.ander-in-chief of the 
colony, Thomas Dongan, an Irishman was sent out as 
governor. He had been in the service of the king of 
France, at the head of a royal Irish regiment, and it 



1682] 



Governor Dongan 



117 




was thought that his experience would be of value in 

the present crisis, when the 
peaceful relations between 
Canada and Xew York were 
in momentary danger of in- 
terruption*. 

Dongaii calls a general 
assembly. — During his ad- 
ministration, Andros had 
labored to convince the duke 
that it was best to give his 
colony some system of self- 
The good offices of William Penn, who 
had considerable influence 
•vith the duke, led him to 
yield to the requests of the 
people. The desire for a 
voice in the government was 
the one thing upon which 
both the Dutch and the Eng- 
lish colonists were agreed. 

Accordingly the duke di- 
rected Dongan on his arrival 
in Xew York, to call together 
Frederick Phillips, an Englishman, who had been one 
of Andres's council ; Stephen Van Cortlandt, a Dutch- 
man who had served with Colve; and other ''most 



Thomas Dongan. 1634-1715 



government. 



,&^ 




William \'y 



* Dongan at once took steps to rid the province of 
Frenchmen who had come in with the Jesuit mission- 
aries. He plainly told the Indians that the missionaries 
might remain, but the Frenchmen must go. Indians 
rarely do things by halves and they sent both away. 



118 Governor Dongax [Period IV 

eminent inhabitants, not to exceed ten in all, as a 
council." These councilors were to have freedom of 
debate and " a vote on all matters of public concern ". 

With the aid and advice of this council Dongan was 
also to issue writs to the proper officers in all parts of 
his dominions for the election of " a general assembly, 
not to exceed eighteen of all the freeholders, by the 
persons whom they shall choose to represent them." 
This assembly was to consult with the governor and his 
council " what laws are fit and necessary to be made 
and established for the good of the people of the 
colony ". 

The duke further declared that this general assembly 
should have liberty to meet, to debate and to propose 
such laws as they deemed best for the colony ; and also 
that if such laws appeared for the general good and 
not prejudicial to his interests he would sanction them. 
Moreover, such laws passed by the assembly were to 
be " binding until he had signified his disapproval ". 

First meeting of the general assembly^ 1683. 

— The 17th of October, 1683, is memorable in the his- 
tory of Xew York, for on that day convened the first 
general assembly, a body actually elected by the people, 
and free to execute legislative functions within a very 
limited sphere. 

The assembly consisted of 17 members. It sat three 
weeks and enacted 14 laws. I^hese laws were intro- 
duced, were read three times, were voted upon by the 
assembly and were then assented to by the governor 
and his council. 

The most important measure was " The Charter of 
Liberties and Privileges granted by His] Royal High- 



1685] The First General Assembly 119 

ness to the inhabitants of Xew Yorke and its depend- 
encies. " This charter was a remarkable document. It 
granted to every freeholder in the province entire 
freedom of casting his vote " without let or hindrance ". 
It guaranteed entire freedom of conscience "to all 
peaceable persons who profess faith in God by Jesus 
Christ ", and declared that no tax or imposition what- 
ever should be levied on any of His Majesty's subjects 
*'but by the act of the governor, his council, and 
' The People met in General Assembly ' ". Here was 
established the great principles of taxation only "by 
consent". Here came in the term "The People". 
Prophetic words! words soon to be objected to by the 
king as being quite too distinct a recognition of their 
rights. 

New York divided into wards.— New York city 
was now divided into wards for the election of alder- 
men. A charter making Albany a city was granted in 
1686, and Peter Schuyler was first mayor. 

Erection of counties. — The Xew York assembly, 
in Nov., 1683, pased a law to " divide the province and 
dependencies into shires and counties." Ten counties 
were established: New York, Westchester, Dutchess, 
Orange, Ulster, Albany, Richmond, Kings, Queens, 
Suffolk*. 

The duke becomes King James II, 1685. — The 

fourteen laws enacted by the first general assembly had 
been submitted to the duke for his approval. Thirteen 
of them he had approved, but the most coveted one, 

* Cornwall and Duke's counties were two additional 
counties outside the province of New York. 



120 Governor Dong an [Period l\' 

the " Charter of Liberties", had been held back. In 
February, 1685, King Charles suddenly died, and the 
Duke of York ascended the throne as James XL His 
rights as proprietor of Xew York were now merged in 
his sovereignty as king. Step by step, James now 
undid what as proprietor he had so well begun. He 
revoked the "Charter of Liberties", objected to the 
expression "The people met in general assembly", 
and entirely restricted the freedom of the press. 

Freedom of religious worship was not entirely de- 
stroyed, but Dongan was directed to especially foster the 
Church of England. 

Doiigaii dissolves the assembly. — In September, 
1686, Dongan for "weighty reasons" prorogued the 
assembly until March, 1687. Meantime, having re- 
ceived additional instructions from King James, in 
January, 168T, he issued an order permanently dis- 
solving it. 

This was a most terrible responsibility, and could the 
governor and his king have forseen the final results of 
the act, they would have recoiled from it. So early as 
1572, Hollanders had laid down for themselves and all 
liberty-loving people the principle that, " Only the 
State can tax itself". And the same principle having 
once obtained a foothold in this continent, was destined 
in God's providence to remain and obtain here its 
fullest aud freest expression. 

GoYeriior Donijau's recall. — By this act all gov- 
ernment reverted to Governor Dongan and his council. 
To his credit, let it be said the governor used this power 
more wisely than was expected. He thoroughly looked 
after the commercial interests of the colony, and it 



1688] Summary 121 

prospered during the six years of his administration. 
As a loyal servant of King James, he endeavored to 
carry out all his instructions; as an honest Christian 
gentleman he did his best to protect the people in their 
rights. This was too much for any man to attempt 
successfully. In 16<S8 he was recalled. 

SUMMARY 

1. Sir Edmund Andros governor. 

2. The duke's new charter. Reason for. 

3. Fate of Xew Jersey. East and AA^est Jersey. 

4. Andres's instructions. 

5. Andros and the burghers. 

6. The first Indian commission. 

7. Thomas Dongan governor; character and services. 
His instructions. 

8. Dongan and the French. 

9. Dongan's council. 

10. The general assembly; its choice, and duties. 

11. The work of Dongan's assembly. 

12. The Charter of Liberties and Privileges. Its 
nature. 

13. New York City divided into wards. Its first 
mayor. 

14. The first ten counties. 

15. Fate of the Charter of Liberties. 

16. Death of King Charles, 1685. 

17. James, as king. His first acts. 

18. Dissolution of the assembly. Reasons for. 

19. Cardinal principle of government in Holland. 
Effect of dissolution. 

20. Recall of Dongan. 



CHAPTER XIII 
Under the Exglish, 1688-1691 

The great royal province. — Xew York and Xew 
Jersey were now with all Xew England erected into 
one grand, royal province, and Sir Edmund Andros 
Avas commissioned vice-regal governor of the whole, 
with Captain Francis Nicholson as lieutenant-governor. 

The great seal of Xew York made in the previous 
year, and bearing the legend, " Aliusq. et Idem," oihevj 
yet the same, was broken, and in its place was substituted 
the great seal of Xew England, thereafter to be used 
throughout all his majesty's colonies*. 

Xew York was now a city of about 18,000 people, 
in every respect the metropolis of the west. The 
people, generally, resented the union with Xew Eng- 
land, and were uncertain as to what the future held 
in store for them. The one desire upon which they 
were all united was that their " Charter of Liberties " 
might be restored to them. In this they were to be 
disappointed. Governor Andros remained but a short 
time, when he returned to Boston, leaving lieutenant- 
governor Xicholson with his council in charge of af- 
fairs in Xew York. 

Character and plans of King James. — James's 
instruction to Dongan had been to foster the Church 

* This seal was inscribed, " Xunquam libertas gratior 
extat." 

(122) 



1G88] The Revolution of 1688 123 

of England in every way possible. James himself, 
however, soon renounced Protestantism, and became a 
Catholic. His zeal for this new faith provoked the 
remark from the pope, " This foolish king will yet 
destroy the little Catholicism that remains in Eng- 
land." In Xew York he tried to keep up the double 
character and pleased no one. Dongan, before his re- 
call, had made a vigorous protest against French inva- 
sions into the territory of the Iroquois. James, 
subservient to the King of France, ordered Dongan to 
avoid all ditferences with the Canadian French, yet he 
wished to retain intact all his American possessions. 
It had been for the double purpose of uniting all the 
colonies against French aggression, and also that a 
more imposing front might be presented to Canada, 
that he had joined all his American colonies under 
one government. At the same time, he was plotting 
for the overthrow of religious liberty in both continents. 

The English revolution of 1688. — James's writ- 





WiLLiAM III. 1650-1702 Maky II. 166ri-1694 

Reigned, 1689-1702 Reigned, 1689-1694 

ten declaration of " complete religious tolerance " was 
followed by the trial and imprisonment of the bishops 



124 Lieutenant-Governor Nicholson [Period IV 

who refused to bow to his decrees. On the day of 
their trial the English people invited William of 
Orange, the Stadtholder of Holland, whose wife, 
Mary, was King James's daughter, to come to England 
as their sovereign. He accepted the responsibility and 
on the fifth of Xovember, 1688, landed at Torbay with 
a military force, supported by a strong fleet under 
command of Cornelius Everston, who had led the 
avenging fleet to Xew York fifteen years before. His 
banner bore the words, "I will maintain the Protes- 
tant religion and the liberties of England." 

James now temporized. He tried to conciliate the 
nation he had offended. He offered to make terms 
with William. It was in vain. The time had now 
arrived for James to become, as his brother Charles 
had been, a wanderer. He abdicated the throne and 
fled to France. The fate of Andros being wrapped up 
in that of his master, his fall, also, was sudden and 
<3omplete. 

Corouatiou of William and Mary.— William of 
Orange did not immediately assume the crown. De- 
claring that he had come only to deliver England, he 
waited until the constituencies of the kingdom met in 
convention at Westminster. 

This convention defined the powers of their sovereign 
and then settled the English crown on William, Prince, 
and Mary, Princess of Orange. So was the English 
revolution accomplished. 

Andros imprisoned, 1680. — Lieutenant-governor 
Nicholson was busy putting the affairs of Xew York 
colony in order when news of the English revolution 
reached him. 



1689] Jacob Leisler 125 

He immediately dispatched word to Andros at Bos- 
ton informing him of what had happened, but at al- 
most the same time he received the news of Andros's 
imprisonment by the people. The situation was 
directly favorable to disorder, and disorder came. 

Jacob Leisler. — There was living in Xew York at 
this time a German, Jacob Leisler, a prosperous liquor- 
dealer, who had years before been one of the jury be- 
fore whom New York's only case of witchcraft had 
been tried (see page 106). 

He was connected by marriage with Nicholas Bayard 
and Stephen Van Cortlandt, but he had quarrelled 
with both these men. He was a man of strong will 
but narrow mind, and knowing that William had been 
proclaimed king in England, he thought he might 
gain some personal advantage if the same proclamation 
should be made in Xew York. 

The orders of the king that all present oflficers were 
to be continued did not reach Xew York until Leisler 
had gone too far to retract. Seizing the fort with the 
company of which he was captain and soon being re- 
enforced by other companies of militia, he held 
against all comers, declaring that he would surrender 
the fort only to a proper representative of William 
and Mary. Meantime Philip Van Cortlandt and Bay- 
ard, members of the council, having received a copy of 
the king's orders, called together the city authorities 
and made the proclamation in proper form. Had Gov- 
ernor Nicholson possessed sufficient courage and re- 
mained at his post, all might have gone well ; but, 
being timid, he fled to England, leaving the field to 
the two parties who, each in a different way, were try- 



126 Leisler acting Goyerxor [Period IV 

ing to accomplish tlie same ends, — establisli the author- 
ity of the new monarchs, and incidentally better their 
own prospects. 

Two parties. — The common people gathered about 
Leisler, and he was sustained by the militia. Around 
Bayard and Van Cortlandt gathered the higher classes*. 

A "Committee of Safety", ten men, evidently of 
Leisler's appointment, was created. They made Leis- 
ler " captain of the fort", and invested him with the 
powers of chief magistrate. In possession of the fort 
and the funds, which were kept there, Leisler now with 
a flourish of trumpets proclaimed William and Mary 
lawful sovereigns of the colony. 

Bayard and his party then retired to Albany, and 
making the same proclamation; set up a government 
there. So it came about that there were in Xew York 
two rival governments, each professing to be loyal to 
William and Mary, and each possessing about the same 
claims to authority. 

Colonel William Sloiighter made governor. — 

While this was taking place in Xew York the fugitive 
Xicholson had reached England and reported. The 
necessity for a properly accredited governor was seen, 
and the king appointed to the -place, Colonel William 
Sloughter, a man destitute of every qualification needed 
in the critical condition of affairs in the colony. He 
was a drunkard, was avaricious, and was deplorably 
lacking in judgment. In fact more could be said of 
his vices than of his virtues. To make the situation 



* The former were called "Democrats", the latter 
" Aristocrats ". 



1690] First Colonial Congress 127 

still worc^e, a large number of Huguenot families had 
just escaped from France and settled in Xew York, 
and it was believed that the designs of the French 
then invading the colony included the capture of the 
city and the massacre of these immigrants. 

The bishop of London endeavored to secure author- 
ity for the govenment of Leisler, in order that these 
French designs might be frustrated, but he was re- 
fused. London merchants appealed to the king to 
despatch a force to protect New York. 

This William dared not do, for the exiled James had 
already landed in Ireland and threatened England. 

Leisler proclaims himself lieuteuaut-goveruor. 

— While Sloughter lingered in London, orders were 
dispatched directing that the oldest member of the 
council should assume charge of the government. 
These papers Leisler captured, and immediately issued 
a manifesto declaring that he had been appointed 
lieutenant-governor. 

Thus matters continued, Leisler assuming more and 
more authority and inflicting cruelties on all against 
whom he harbored a grudge. 

It was at this time that the French invaded the State, 
burned Schenectady, and threatened Albany *. 

An attempt to unite all the colonies in a war on 
Canada failed. Leisler refused to unite with any who 
did not recognize his authority as lieutenant-governor. 

A colonial congress, 1690. — The situation became 
so critical that Leisler issued a call for a colonial con- 
gress to meet in New York. Thus it happened that 

* See King William's War. 



128 Governor Sloughter [Period IV 

the first colonial congress that ever met in tlie New 
World convened in Xew York, May 1st, 1690, at the 
call of a usurping governor. 

To this congress all the northern colonies except 
Rhode Island sent delegates, and she promised to do 
her share in whatever was undertaken. Even the rival 
government at Albany under the pressure of imminent 
danger relented and sent delegates. This was practic- 
ally an acknowledgement of the authority of Leisler. 

This congress agreed to raise a land force of 850 
men to meet the French invasion, while Leisler, on his 
part, fitted out a small fleet to operate against Quebec. 
The land expedition went no farther than Lake Cham- 
plain and accomplished nothing, while the naval force 
soon returned. 

Leisler'8 career. — Leisler's tyranny rendered him 
daily more odious, and discontent became general. In 
December, 1(390, word came that the new governor was 
on his way to the colony. He sailed in September, but 
was six months in making the voyage. Major Richard 
Ingoldsby was in command of one of the ships, and 
he was first to reach Xew York. Hardly had he 
dropped anchor in the bay when Leisler's enemies were 
on board his ship, laying their complaints before the 
major. He had no authority to act for the governor, 
but being the highest royal officer now in the port he 
sent a subordinate to Leisler, demanding possession of 
the fort in the king's name, saying nothing however 
in recognition of Leisler's authority as lieutenant- 
governor. 

Here was a dilemma. Leisler had seized the fort in 



1691] Leisler Hai^ged 129 

the king's name, yet he refused to surrender it to one 
of the king's officers *. 

With intention to protect himself, Leisler now issued 
a manifesto stating that Sloughter had been appointed 
governor and professing himself ready to surrender the 
fort and his authority to the governor when he should 
arrive. 

Weeks, even months passed and the governor did not 
appear. Leisler's unfortunate temper now drove him 
to more folly. Ingoldsby attempted to enter the fort 
with his command, when Leisler fired on the king's 
troops. The fire was returned and several on both sides 
were killed. 

Grovernor Sloughter arrives, 1691. — That night 
Governor Sloughter arrived and Leisler's fate was 
sealed. He with his son-in-law Milborne and six others 
were arrested, tried for high treason, and sentenced to 
be hanged. 

All except Leisler and Milborne were pardoned. 
These two were executed with all the cruelty of the 
times. Leisler died forgiving his enemies; his son-in- 
law, Milborne, with his latest breath accused them of 
implacable cruelty. 

The character of Leisler. — Writers differ widely 
as to the character of Jacob Leisler. He has been 
alternately exalted as a patriot and denounced as a 
traitor. The truth would seem to be that he was a 
well-meaning man, defective in judgment, and espec- 

* In justice to Leisler it should be said that the de- 
mand for the surrender of his authority was not accom- 
panied by any proper written order from the king, nor 
from Governor Sloughter. 



130 Summary [Period l\ 

ially unfortunate in the friends and advisors by whom 
he surrounded himself. 

In later years parliament ordered the restoration of 
Leisler's property to his family, and exonerated the 
conduct of his administration. 

SUMMARY 

I. The great Royal Province; Xew York, New Eng- 
land, and Xew Jersey; Governor Andros; Lieutenant- 
Governor Nicholson. 

2. Effect on the people of Xew York. 

3. Character and plans of King James. 

4. Reason for union of colonies. 

5. English Revolution of 1688. 

6. Coronation of William and Mary. 

7. Andros in prison; flight of Nicholson. 

8. Jacob Leisler; his character. 

9. Career of Leisler in New York. 

10. The " two parties " and their leaders. 

II. Leisler's "committee of safety". 

12. Leisler's colonial congress; object; action of. 

13. The new governor; his non-arrival; effect of. 

14. Character of Governor Sloughter. 

15. The coming of Ingoldsby. 

16. Conflict with Leisler. 

17. Arrival of Sloughter, 1691; the fate of Leisler. 

18. Estimates of Leisler's character. 



CHAPTER XIV 
Under the Englise, 1691-1702 

Governor Sloughter's administration. — King 
William's instructions to Governor Slonghter did not 
promise a government very much more liberal than the 
preceding ones had been. Indeed, in religious matters, 
it was even more narrow. Papists were excepted in 
the clause which otherwise granted liberty of conscience, 
and in the council which he named not a Catholic was 
included. He did however allow the people to be 
represented in an assembly which was called soon after 
he had secured possession of the fort* and the govern- 
ment of the city. 

The first royal assembly. — The first general 
assembly ever to convene by direct authority of the 
crown met on April 9, 1691. It consisted of seven- 
teen members and it passed fourteen laws. It reaf- 
firmed, substantially, the old " Charter of Liberties", 
but illiberally, again, omitted Catholics from its 
benefitsf . 

From this time for many years, ]^ew York had con- 
stant changes in her government. 

In a century preceding the Eevolution, there were 

* Governor Sloughter^named the fort " Fort William 
Henry", in honor of his sovereign. 

t Like King James, King William was afraid of this 
charter and disallowed it. 

(131) 



132 Governor Fletcher [Period IV 

no less than 33 of these governors coming and going 
as in a play, with scarcely time to set in motion any 
orderly condition of affairs. Governor Sloughter died 
in July, 1691, mourned by no one. He had made no 
friends and had incurred the enmity of the whole Leis- 
lerian party, now strong in the colony. 

Governor Fletcher ^ 1691. — Governor Fletcher is 
described by early writers as a " man of strong pas- 
sions but of inconsiderable talents ". He certainly 
was not fitted to govern the colony in its divided and 
threatened condition. 

In his administration of affairs he had two ruling 
motives : to establish the 
Church of England, and to 
enrich himself. In one mat- 
ter, he availed himself of the 
assistance of Major Peter 
Schuyler of Albany, who 
had almost unlimited influ- 
ence with the Iroquois. Un- 
der Schuyler's management 
they remained the firm allies 
I'KTEH scnrvLEK. 1657-1724 ^f ^j^^ English as they had 

been of the Dutch before them. 

The first printing press was set up in Xew York in 1693 
by William Bradford*, a Quaker from Philadelphia. 

Soon after Bradford was established in Xew York 
a journeyman printer called on him and asked for 
work. Bradford did not need him, but gave him a 

*In 1725 he published the first newspaper in the 
colony. 





1695] GovERi^OR Bellomont 133 

letter to his son in Philadelphia, to which town the 

printer departed on foot. 
This was Benjamin Frank- 
lin, and thus were his ser- 
vices lost to Xew York and 
transferred to Pennsyl- 
vania. 

The Earl of Bello- 
mout, 1695.— In 16 95 
Fletcher was succeeded in 
the office of governor by 

Benjamin Franklin, 1706-1790 Eichard Cootc, Earl of Bcl- 

lomont. The earl found plenty of trouble awaiting 
him. As he frankly told the assembly, his predecesor 
had left him as a legacy " a divided people, an empty 
purse, a few almost naked soldiers, not half as many 
as the king had been paying for, and the fort and gov- 
ernor's house in ruins ". 

He promised there should be no further misapplica- 
tion of public money; that he would pocket none of it 
himself nor allow others to do so; and that he would 
try to find some way of reconciling their differences 
and providing against abuse in elections. 

On his arrival. Governor Bellomont had found 
Count Frontenac still waging war on the Iroquois. 
He sent Colonel John Schuyler and Domine Dellius to 
Canada to notify the count of the treaty of Kyswick, 
to demand a cessation of hostilities and to ask for an 
exchange of prisoners, — "whether christians or In- 
dians ". The old count refused to exchange any Xew 
York Indians on the ground that they were all French 
subjects. To this claim Governor Bellomont made a 



i;U GovER^^OR Bellomont [Period IV^ 

bold answer: "If it is necessary, I will arm every 
man in the provinces under my government to redress 
any injury you may perpetrate against our Indians.''^ 
Further, he threatened to retaliate by enforcing the 
law against any Jesuit priest found in the colony. 
While these negotiations were pending, Frontenac 
died and the Indians were exchanged. 

Fraudulent laud grants. — An act of justice which 
deserves special mention was Governor Bellomont's 
recommendation to the English government that cer- 
tain large grants of land on the Mohawk and Hudson 
rivers, which were obtained during Fletcher's admin- 
istration, should be vacated. One of these grants had 
been obtained by Domine Dellius, a clergyman at Al- 
bany, another by Xicholas Bayard. It was ordered 
that these tracts should go back to the Indians to whom 
they rightfully belonged. By subsequent purchase 
these lands became the property of the crown, and 
were opened to settlement. 

Nothing in Bellomont's administration did more for 
the future State than the measure by which this mag- 
nificent valley was reserved to actual settlers, who soon 
occupied it. 

French interference.— The French still continued 
to meddle with the Iroqouis. This was so largely due 
to the Jesuits that the governor persuaded the assembly 
to pass a law for hanging every Jesuit priest who should 
come voluntarily into the province*. 

*It sounds very strange to our ears, but to Governor 
Bellomont and the assembly of New York, 200 years 
ago, the acts of these priests seemed a part of the 
French plan to wrest from the colony of Xew York a 



1695] Captain Kidd 135 

The efforts to suppress piracy. — In these times 
private armed vessels, licensed and unlicensed, roved 
the seas and robbed as they had opportunity. 

Some had commissions from James II; others from 
William III; many had no commissions, but committed 
piracy and murder for emolument. The ships of any 
nation were rifled and burned, those of England as 
well as others, and the English government now began 
to consider how to suppress piracy. 

The English navy could not at that time spare a ship 
for the purpose, so a private vessel was purchased by an 
association of prominent Englishmen, together with 
Eobert Livingston and Governor Bellomont of Xew 
York. 

The sailing of Captain Kidd.— A competent com- 
mander was needed. Livingston knew the right man, 
and on his recommendation he was engaged. William 
Kidd had commanded a privateer against the French, 
and while thus employed had in an engagement once 
done the English government good service. He was 

large part of its territory. In that light the law be- 
comes a political rather than a religious measure. 
The following is the act: 

■• Whereas, divers Jesuits, priests and popish missionaries, have of late 
come and for Some time have had their residence in the remote parts of 
this Province etc. ttc, who by their wicked and subtle insinuations Indus- 
triously labor to Debauch Seduce and withdraw the Indians from their due 
obedience unto his most Sacred ma'ty, Ac Ac, therefore, be it enacted Ac. 
that any Jesuit, Seminary Priest, Missionary or other Spiritual or Ecclesi- 
astical! made or Ordained by any Authority power or Jurisdiction derived 
Challenged or p'tended from the pope or See of Rome Ac Ac— who shall 
continue or abide remain or come into this province shall be Accounted an 
incendiary and disturber of the public peace and shall be adjudged to suffer 
perpetuall imprisonment." 

Colonial Laws Vol. I. 



136 Governor Bellomoxt [Period IV^ 

conveniently commissioned as a " privateer against the 
French and to capture pirates in the Indian seas and 
elsewhere '\ 

He took command of the ^' Adventure ''\ left England 
in April, 1(596, and going to Xew York recruited his 
crew up to 155 men. 

Xow Captain William Kidd was a man who did not 
need to be told the value of such a commission as he 
held and such endorsement as he had been given. He 
promised his crew that he would "load the ship with 
gold and silver ", and they should all be rich men. Of 
course he went to fight pirates, but he could not always 
distinguish pirate ships from others, — at least he did 
not; and frequently he landed and pursued his occu- 
pation on shore. He captured one English ship, and 
though its captain offered 30,000 rupees ransom, it 
was refused. 

After many adventures abroad, he came to Long 
Island Sound, and was said to have buried a part of 
his vast treasure on Gardiner's Island. He finally ap- 
peared on the streets of Boston " dressed as a gentle- 
man " ; was seen by Governor Bellomont, was arrested 
and finally sent to England for trial, where he and 
nine of his men were executed. 

Of " Captain Kidd and his Treasure *' many ballads 
have been sung, and a thousand stories written, while, 
at lengthening intervals, men still search for the hidden 
gold and silver*. 

*The treasure hidden on Gardiner's Island was dis- 
covered and delivered to Governor Bellomont. It is 
known that T38 ounces of gold, 847 ounces of silver, 
besides jewels were found. 



1701] Lieutena:n^t-Goveknor Xanfa^-^ 13T 

His story is of importance to us, only as it helps us 
to understand the times in which he lived. The effect 
then produced is best told in the language of an histo- 
rian who wrote in 1839 *. " The adventures, piracy, 
trial and execution of Captain Kidd made so great a 
noise in America and England at the time, besides in- 
volving the good fame of many English nobles, that I 
must devote a few pages to the subsequent history of 
this unhappy man. The Tory party in England, 
endeavoring to destroy the Whig ministry, charged 
them with abetting Kidd in his piracies and sharing 
the plunder. These gentlemen in conjunction with 
Bellomont and Robert Livingston fitted out the ^Ad- 
venture Galley ' and Kidd had on Livingston's recom- 
mendation been placed in command." 

Death of Bellomont. — Lieuteiiaut-Groveruor 
Nanfan, 1701. — Governor Bellomont died in the city 
of Xew York in March, 1701. Naturally, a man of so 
positive a nature left behind him many friends and 
many bitter enemies. His apparent espousal of Leis- 
ler's cause by the tardy act of humanity to his remains, 
and the benefits extended to men of that party secured 
for him the enmity of the aristocratic element. 

He was succeeded by John Nanfan, lieutenant-gov- 
ernor. But two events of Xanfan's brief administra- 
tion need be mentioned. One was an act appropriating 
^2,500 to strengthen the defences of Albany and 
Schenectady, and to build a fort in the Onondaga 
country, with $4,000 for presents to the Iroquois f. 

* William Dunlap in " History of Xew York ". 
t In return the Indians ceded a large tract of land 
to the crown. 



138 Summary [Period IV 

Another was the establishment of a new court of 
Chancery, of which AVilliam Atwood was chief justice, 
and Abraham de Peyster and Robert Walters were 
associates. 

SUMMARY 

1. Governor Sloughter's instructions. 

2. The first Royal assembly, 1691; how convened, 
its acts. 

3. Death of Sloughter. 

4. Governor Fletcher; character. 

5. William Bradford and Benjamin Franklin. 

6. Earl of Bellomont, governor, 1695; his charac- 
ter; condition of colony; the earl's promises. 

7. Justice to Leisler. 

8. Bellomont and Frontenac. 

9. The fraudulent land grants. 

10. Law against Jesuit priests; reason for. 

11. Piracy in 1695. 

12. The story of Captain Kidd. 

13. Bellomont's and Livingston's connection with 
Kidd. 

14. Lieutenant-Governor Xanfan; the Indians; the 
courts. 




CHAPTER XV 

Under the Ej^glish, 1702-1708 

Queen Anne; Lord Cornbury, 1702.— In 1702 
King William died without 
an heir, and the crown of 
England went to Anne, sec- 
ond daughter of James I[. 
With her accession to the 
throne fresh trouble came to 
the colony. She at once ap- 
pointed as governor a rela- 
tive. Sir Edward Hyde, 
ANKE, 166.5-1714 known as Lord Cornbury. 

Reigned. 1702-1714 T h i S SCemS to liaVC bcCn 

done, not on account of his fitness, but to get him out 
of the way of his creditors, and to give him an oppor- 
tunity to recover his shattered fortunes. He appears 
to have had scarcely one redeeming quality, yet the 
colony suffered from his maladministration for seven 
years. 

Condition of the colony of New York.— So many 
and such frequent changes had occurred in the gov- 
ernment of Xew York since the year 1623, when the 
Dutch West India Company undertook the manage- 
ment of its affairs, that one may well inquire, what was 
the condition of the government in 1702 ? What was 
the real form of that government ? What voice or 

(139) 



140 Governor Cornbury [Period IV 

share had the people in it ? Had the seventy-nine 
intervening years brought any improvement in the 
condition of the people ? 

Xevv York in passing from the proprietorship of the 
Dutch AVest India Company to that of the Duke of 
York, and later to the condition of a royal province 
under the duke, afterward James II, had gained little 
in the way of self-government. The people had a 
small share in the management of their own affairs. 
They could levy taxes; could grant or withhold money 
intended for colonial purposes; and had a sort of 
legislature, although the crown reserved the power of 
appointment for two-thirds of its members, and also 
an absolute veto power in regard to every law or meas- 
ure passed by it. 

The governor and lieutenant-governor were both ap- 
pointed by the crown, without the consent of the colo- 
nists, and as the governor named his own council it 
could not be expected in any great degree to represent 
the people. 

Powers of a colonial governor. — The governor 
could convene and dissolve the assembly. He could 
suspend members and fill the vacancies. He could 
erect courts, appoint justices of the peace, and pardon 
all offences, — treason and murder alone excepted. 
Singularly enough, his salary was voted by the assem- 
bly, but he had many ways of enriching himself and 
his friends without the consent of the people. 

To us this seems a very travesty on free government, 
but it must be remembered that two hundred years 
ago the world knew very little about representative 
forms of government. The worst feature of all was 



1702] Political Freedom in 1702 141 

that the governor was a satrap, so far from his sov- 
ereign that there was very little limit to his powers, 
particularly as he had a body of soldiers always at his 
oall. The time came when the people rebelled against 
such a governing power. The colonies were then " at 
school ", learning by slow degrees the art of self- 
government. 

In one particular, the colony of Xew York led all 
the others; this was in freedom of speech and con- 
science. When Peter Stuyvesant was forced to capitu- 
late, he insisted on " Liberty of conscience and church 
government now and forever". To this demand 
Nicolls had agreed. Many attempts had been made to 
break down this barrier to tyranny. With the coming 
of Lord Cornbury, the battle over this sacred right had 
again to be fought. The custom of the times was 
not tolerance in religious faith, nor the spirit of charity 
for others. Men professed to be the followers of 
Christ, but few showed his spirit, or practised his 
teachings *. 

Cornbury 's attempt to establish Episcopacy. — 

Cornbury found the Dutch settlers with scarcely an 
exception professing the Protestant faith as they under- 
stood it, and acknowledging the authority of the Synod 
of Dort. This, to Cornbury, was rank heresy. He set 
to work with all his might to establish English Episco- 
pacy, and directed that neither teachers nor preachers 

* The spirit of the times was well illustrated by the 
remark of an Iroquois Indian who, hearing for the 
first time of the crucifixion of Christ, exclaimed, "I 
wish I had been there ; I'd have taken all their scalps ! " 




142 Govern UK Cokxblky [Period IV 

should practise their callings unless licensed to do so 
by the bishop of London. 

At Hempstead, Long Island, was a Presbyterian 
church with a regular minis- 
ter. At Flushing and Oyster 
Bay the Quakers had socie- 
/ BK^>|mI ties, while at Jamaica were 

both a Dutch and an Episco- 
pal church, between which 
there had been an unpleasant 
'^^mM i J '\j^^^ contest. 
^^ ' ^S ' ^^^ ^^ ^^ happened (a frequent 

EDWARD HYDK.viscm-NT CORN- occurrencc, then), that a 
bury,earlofClareni)on.i66i-i723 malignant fever broke out in 
Xew York, and Governor Cornbury for his own safety 
removed to Hempstead. The only good house there 
was the one owned by the Presbyterian church and 
occupied by the minister. The governor asked for 
this house. Xo one could refuse the governor, so the 
minister moved out and our Lord Cornbury moved in. 
Xext he turned the church over to the Episcopalians, 
justifying himself by that item in his instructions 
which directed him " so far as was convenient to favor 
the Church of England"*. 

It was the custom of the times to construe both the 

law and the king's orders to one's personal advantage. 

East and West Jersey. — A formal commission 

directed Lord Cornbury to govern also the whole of 

New Jersey, the proprietors having surrendered all 

* In 1728 this wrong was set right by the colonial 
courts. 



1702] Enforcement OF THE Nayigatio:n^ Act 143 

their powers to the crown. East and West Jersey were 
therefore once more united in one province. 

The " iiayigatioii act " had been promulgated in 
1660, but it had fallen into disuse. Lord Cornbury 
was now instructed to enforce it, at a time when the 
growing commerce of the colony made it particularly 
odious. 

It had been enacted by parliament that no commodi- 
ties were to be imported into any British settlement in 
*' Asia, Africa or America or exported thence except in 
vessels built in England or her colonial possessions," 
and the master and at least three-fourths of the crew 
must be British subjects. Also, certain enumerated 
articles, such as sugar, cotton, tobacco, wool, etc., etc., 
raised or manufactured in the colonies, could be shipped 
nowhere except to England. To this was afterwards 
added the requirement that no European articles 
should be shipped to any of the colonies unless the 
vessels were laden in England. 

The enforcement of the act at this time contributed 
greatly to the unpopularity of Governor Cornbury, 
and it was afterward one of the causes of the Revolution. 

Dissatisfaction with the governor. — Lord Corn- 
hury's demands for money soon began to be a cause of 
dissatisfaction in the assembly. They voted £1,500 
for batteries to protect New York, but having cause 
to suspect that much of the money went to his lord- 
ship's own use, they began to scrutinize his expendi- 
tures. This offended him ; and in reply to their talk 
about their "rights", he told them plainly they had 
"no rights but such as her gracious majesty granted 
them"! Indeed, under his honor's government, this 



144 Governor Cornbury [Period IV 

was nearly true. The assembly voted more money; 
but instead of handing it over to the governor they 
placed it in the hands of a treasurer, who was directed 
to look after its disbursement. 

Religious intolerance. — As if to make himself 
still more unpopular the governor interfered more 
actively in religious matters, his instructions making it 
discretionary how far it was "convenient" for him 
to go. He forbade the Dutch congregation to open 
their church to a Presbyterian minister or to listen to 
one. He imprisoned two ministers for preaching 
without license. 

His personal debaucheries might be overlooked or 
forgiven, but his interference in matters of religious 
belief they would not endure. They protested to the 
queen with such vehemence and in such numbers that 
she revoked Cornbury's commission; and when the 
royal authority had been withdrawn, his creditors 
promptly threw him into prison for debt. Just then 
his father died, he became a peer, and from a Wall 
street jail he went to the British House of Lords. 

But he will always have the reputation of being the 
worst governor England sent to her colonies. It was 
one of his habits to dress as a woman, as shown in his 
portrait, page 142. This he pretended to do in honor 
of Queen Anne, whom he thought himself to resemble. 

New York in Queen Anne's War^ 1702-1713.— 

Again the peace of the American colonies was to be 
disturbed by the petty quarrels of European sovereigns. 
AVhat in 1702 was known in Europe as the " War of 
the Spanish Succession " was in this country called 
" Queen Anne's AVar ". It made little difference to 



1708] Queen Anne's War 145 

the colonists who sat on the throne of Spain, but as 
both France and England were participants of the 
European quarrel, on opposite sides, the traditional 
antipathy between Canada and the English colonies 
was again fanned to a flame, and for eleven years the 
strife went on. 

That it fell so lightly on Xew York was largely due 
to the efforts of Colonel Peter Schuyler. Through his 
influence with the Iroquois, the friendship of those 
fickle tribes was secured. Schuyler induced a sachem 
from each tribe to accompany him to England. The 
mission served a double purpose. The Indians were 
deeply impressed with the power and resources of Eng- 
land, and returned once more the staunch allies of the 
English, while the British ministry authorized a cam- 
paign for the conquest of Canada. 

Schuyler on his return to Xew York stirred up the 
military spirit there. Invasions of Canada were 
planned and several expeditions were sent out. The 
English fleet which was to have conquered Quebec was 
wrecked at the mouth of the St. Lawrence, and the 
contemplated invasions of Canada from New York 
failed also. These operations served one good purpose 
however; they prevented those Canadian expeditions 
into our own State which fell so heavily year after 
year upon Xew England. Canada was not conquered, 
but the extraordinary expenses of this war made it 
necessary for Xew York to issue bills of credit for 
large amounts. This war was finally concluded in 1713 
by the treaty of Utrecht. 

Lord John Lovelace^ 1708. — In the midst of these 
troubles Cornbury had departed, to be succeeded in 



146 Governor Lovelace [Period lY 

1708 by a new governor. The people felt that almost 
any change must be for the better and they extended 
a warm welcome to Lord Lovelace. His policy had 
scarcely been announced when he died. He had, how- 
ever, expressed a desire to have the finances of the 
colony carefully examined, that the extravagances of 
his predecessors might not be charged to him. He had 
asked for an ample appropriation; this the assembly 
voted, but they provided safeguards for its expenditure. 

SUMMARY 

1. Queen Anne and Governor Cornbury. 

2. Condition of colony in 1702; nature of the gov- 
ernment; changes in its form ; growth of popular gov- 
ernment. 

3. Powers of colonial governors. 

. 4. Xew York leads in " Liberty of Conscience ". 

5. Cornbury and religious toleration. 

6. East and West Jersey. 

7. The navigation act ; trouble from its enforcement. 

8. Cornbury's conflict with the assembly. 

9. Protests against acts of governor. 

10. Cornbury's recall; arrest and release. 

11. Queen Anne's war; action of Iroquois. 

12. Effect on Xew York. 

13. Colonel Schuyler's mission to England; its ob- 
ject and result. 

14. Lovelace governor; character. 



CHAPTER XVI 
Under the English, 1710-1754 

Governor Hunter. — The Palatines^ 1710.— Now 

came a man of wide experience and more than ordinary 
ability. Governor Hunter had served in the English 
army as a private soldier, but by his courage and his 
manly bearing he had won promotion. He was ap- 
pointed governor of Virginia; but while on his way to 
that colony was captured by a French privateer and 
on his release found himself appointed governor of 
New York. 

It was through Governor Hunter's influence that 
3,000 Germans, natives of the Palatinate, came to the 
colony of New York. They had removed to England 
on account of the cruel policy of Louis XIV. A 
large number settled in Pennsylvania, a few in New 
York city, and the remainder in Schoharie county and 
the valley of the Mohawk*. They proved a valuable 
addition to the population of the New World. 

Coming as he did in the midst of one of the cam- 
paigns against Canada, Governor Hunter had need of 
wise counselors. Such men as Gerardus Beeckman, 
Rip Van Dam, and Colonel Van Rensselaer were mem- 
bers of his council, and among his friends he reckoned 
Chief Justice Morris and Jacob Van Cortlandt. 

* Palatine, Palatine Bridge, and German Flats, Ilion 
now stand where these first settlements were made. 

(147) 



148 Governor Hunter [Period IV 

His friends being chiefly among the wealthy men of 
the colony, he soon found himself opposed by a majority 
of the assembly, who insisted on higher prerogatives. 
The governor was inclined to curtail those they already 
possessed. This soon led to a disagreement just when 
he had greatest need of their cooperation. 

Hunter's effort was to make officeholders independ- 
ent of the people. He even erected courts without 
the consent of the assembly. That body appealed to 
the House of Lords, which sustained the governor and 
let the people know that her majesty had an undoubted 
right to create as many courts as she pleased. 

Here we may see premonitions of that resistance to ar- 
bitrary rule which was in a half century to cause open 
rebellion and lead to revolution and ultimate separa- 
tion. Governor Hunter soon grew weary of contro- 
versy; but he remained until 1719, when broken health 
finaJly compelled his return to Engla'nd. 

The first negro plot^ 1712. — What is commonly 
known as the "First Xegro Plot" occurred while 
Governor Hunter was in office. The slave trade still 
existed. Most of the slaves in Xew York had been 
brought from Africa *, and were consequently ignorant 
and degraded. The number was not large, but there 
was a general sense of insecurity on account of their 
presence. Masters were not allowed to set their negroes 
free. Severe punishments were inflicted, and often 
there was resistance. A fire occurred which was be- 
lieved to be the work of an incendiary. A search for 

* The first slave market in Xew York was set up in 
1709. 



1720] Governor Burnett 149 

the offender and a consequent riot followed. Some 
one raised the cry "The negroes!" It was reported 
that there was a plot to burn the city and soon the 
prisons were filled w^ith " suspects ". 

A few were executed and others were burned at the 
stake before the unreasoning fear subsided*. 

Grovernor William Burnett^ 1720. — On the de- 
parture of Governor Hunter. 
' ' " ' ^^, there being no lieutenant- 

governor, Peter Schuyler as 
senior member of the council 
l)ecame acting governor. An 
honest, brave, capable man, 
thoroughly familiar vfith all 
the affairs of the colony, he 
filled the position with dis- 
tinguished ability until the 
arrival of Governor Burnett 
in 1720. After a long train of governors, who had 
come out to the colony to serve their own interests 
rather than those of the people, it was a great change 
to receive one man who had a higher notion of his 
duties f. 

The new governor was the son of Bishop Burnett. 
He is said to have been "polite, sociable, well-read, 

*It is probable that the Treaty of Utrecht did quite 
as much to restore confidence as did the execution of 
a dozen or more unfortunate slaves. 

t Even the Earl of Chatham, who should have known 
better, once remarked that a man fit to govern an 
American colony could be found in any one of his 
majesty's regiments. 




150 Governor Burxett [Period IV 

quick, intelligent, and well-disposed", and he did not 
show the usual craving to get rich at the expense of 
those whom he had come to govern. Very soon after 
his arrival he established a fort and trading post on 
Lake Ontario where Oswego now stands. This point 
was the entrepot through which the French had long 
been carrying on a profitable trade with the Xew York 
Indians. By this means the traffic was again diverted 
to the English. Governor Burnett also secured the 
passage of a law prohibiting trade with the French by 
way of Lake Charaplain. This trade, very profitable 
to certain Xew York merchants, was thought to en- 
danger the peace with the Iroqouis, as through it they 
were coming more and more into communication with 
the French and the Canadian Indians. 

A French post at Niagara. — To these attacks on 
their trade the French responded by constructing a 
fort and trading post at Xiagara, through which they 
hoped to accomplish the same results. In this manner 
these two places came into prominence, and remained 
as military posts long after the Indian traffic of Xew 
York had ceased to be a source of profit, and even 
when Canada had permanently passed from under the 
dominion of France. 

Removal of Governor Bnrnett, 1728. — Unfor- 
tunately, the closing years of Governor Burnett's ad- 
ministration were clouded by differences with the 
assembly. The complaints against the governor were 
inspired by certain merchants whose trade had been 
injured by the restrictions placed upon traffic with 
Canada. This disagreement grew until, for the sake 
of peace, it was thought best to transfer him to the 



1732] Governor Montgomery 151 

governorship of Massachusetts, and in 1728 he was 
succeeded in Xew York by John Montgomery, a 
Scotchman. 

The Connecticut boundary dispute, 1731. — In 

Montgomery's administration a settlement was reached 
in the long-standing dispute over the Connecticut 
boundary. 

In 1664 a line had been agreed upon, but it was 
claimed that fraud was practised by the surveyors who 
marked it. Again in 1725 an attempt had been made 
to settle the dispute, and another partition line had 
been agreed upon which also proved unsatisfactory. 
In 1731 the case once more came up, and a final adjust- 
ment of the line was made *. 

Governor Montgomery died in 1731. Rip Van Dam, 
as senior member of the council, became acting gover- 
nor until the coming of Governor William Cosby in 
1732. 

Cosby and Tan Dam, 1732. — One event of Cosby's 
administration well illustrates the character of the 
man. Van Dam had served as governor thirteen 
months before Cosby arrived, and the assembly voted 
him a governor's pay for his services. On his arrival 
Cosby asked Van Dam to turn over to him one-half of 

* By the agreement then made a tract of land con- 
taining 60,000 acres on the Connecticut side of the 
former line was ceded to Xew York. From its peculiar 
shape it was called " The oblong ". In return an equal 
amount of land lying near Long Island Sound was given 
to Connecticut. This last is included in that part of 
Fairfield County, Conn., which extends westward to 
the Brvan river. 



152 Governor Cosby [Period IV 

that salary. Xaturally Van Dam refused to do so. 
Cosby at once proceeded against him in the colonial 
court; but instead of taking it to the court of equity, 
where it belonged, he took it to the court of chancery 
over which he himself presided. To this Van Dam's 
counsel objected, and the chief justice, Lewis Morris, 
sustained the objection. Cosby promptly removed 
Morris and appointed James DeLancy to his place ^. 
These high-handed proceedings set even the governor's 
own council against him, and soon resulted in one of 
the most celebrated trials of the colonial period. 

The Zeiiger trial, 1735.— William Bradford, who 
had, at Philadelphia, set up the first newspaper in 1687, 
was now government printer, and had started a paper 
in Xew York city. He espoused the cause of Gover- 
nor Cosby and his friends. The opposition, also, had 
a paper which was managed by John Peter Zenger, a 
Palatine German. 

In Zenger's paper Governor Cosby and every branch 
of his government were vigorously attacked. The 
ballads, squibs, and direct charges goaded the gover- 
nor to madness. Zenger was arrested upon the charge 
of "publishing a certain false, malicious, seditious 
and scandalous libel" against the governor, and the 
ballads were ordered to be burned by the " public 
whipper". The trial came on. Zenger's friends had 
secretly engaged for his defence Andrew Hamilton, a 
man already eighty years of age, — a distinguished 
citizen and jurist of Philadelphia, one of the most 
prominent lawyers in the country. 

* The governor also removed Van Dam from the 
council. 



1741] A Second Xegro Plot 153 

The case was tried before a jury, and when Hamil- 
ton rose to address them, he was greeted with a storm 
of applause by the crowd of citizens in attendance. 
He boldly declared that all which had been published 
was the truth, hence no libel. Furthermore he offered 
to prove the truth of the statements called libellous. 
The trial lasted for several days, and when the jury 
brought in their verdict of "not guilty" the people 
caught Hamilton up and bore him on their shoulders 
to his hotel. The corporation of New York voted 
Hamilton the "freedom of the city"*, with an ad- 
dress thanking him for his " distinguished services " f. 

George Clark. — Governor Cosby died in 1736. The 
removal of Van Dam from the council had placed 
George Clark in the line of promotion to the office of 
lieutenant-governor. This position he retained for 
seven years. 

The second negro plot, 1741. — This second panic 
was much more terrible than the one which had visited 
the city of Xew York twenty-nine years before. It 
was equally groandless and more unreasonable, for it 
occurred in a time of peace. As in the first panic, a 
number of fires occurred within a few days, and the 
negroes were at once suspected. The method then 

* It was the custom of the times to vote any dis- 
tinguished visitor the " freedom of the city " in a gold 
box. On one occasion this " box" was shown to have 
cost £14 8s., while alongside stood the quarterly salary 
of the schoolmaster at £10. 

t Governeur Morris once declared that American 
liberty should date, not from the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence, but from the Zenger trial. 



154 LiEUTENAXT-GovERXOR Clark [Period IV 

pursued would cause a panic in almost any city to-day. 
A negro arrested " on suspicion " was usually promised 
his "liberty" if he would "testify". This he was 
willing to do, and as a result the jails were soon filled 
with a promiscous crowd of suspects, among whom 
were many bad characters. 

One Mary Burton, a slave woman, who had been 
promised protection, pardon, liberty, and £100, finally 
consented to testify. Her testimony involved many 
negroes and a few whites. A poor, half-witted boy 
among the number was also told he could be pardoned 
if he would "testify". He understood that he must 
testify to a plot to "kill, burn, and destroy " and he 
did what was expected of him. 

Finally it came to be believed that there was a con- 
certed "plot" among the negroes, and so the panic 
spread until men completely lost their heads. As a 
result two whites and eight negroes were hanged on 
the site of the modern "Five Points", then a pleas- 
ant green valley. Eleven were burned alive and fifty 
were sold into slavery in the West Indies, — all doubt- 
less the innocent victims of a groundless fear. So was 
the shame of the Salem witchcraft horror parallelled 
in Xew York. 

The Scotch Highlanders^ 1738. — In Governor 
Clark's time, Captain Laughlin Campbell brought to 
New York eighty-three families of Scotch Highlanders, 
intending to settle them on Lake George as a defence 
against the inroads of the French. Campbell was to 
receive a grant of 30,000 acres of land for this purpose. 
A difficulty concerning the grant delayed the settle- 
ment, and many of the Highlanders returned to Scot- 



1738] 



Lieutenant-Governor Clark 



155 



land, though the majority remained, to be heard from 
later in the history of our State *. 

Governor Clark and the assembly. — During the 
administration of Governor Clark, elections were 
carried on with greater freedom. The assembly and 
the governor early came to an understanding as to the 
powers of each. The governor submitted gracefully 
to legislative restrictions, while in return the assembly 
supported most of his measures. Governor Clark sent 
to the assembly the first "governor's message", and 
to this the assembly replied in good spirit. 

Clark had done well for the colony; he had done 
better for himself, for he was able to retire to England 
with the very comfortable competence of £100,000, 
supposed to be saved in seven years from an annual 
salary of £1,560. 

Changes in England. — Queen Anne had died in 
1714. She had been succeeded by King George I who, 
dying in 17'27, was succeeded by his son Prince George, 





George I, 1660-1727 
Reigned. 1714-1727 



George II, 1683-1760 
Reigned. 1727-1760 



as King George II. During the reign of the latter, 
^ See period of Revolution. 



15(3 Governor Sir George Clintox [Period IV 

Sir George Clinton* was commissioned as governor of 
New York. 

Governor Sir George Clinton :— King George's 
war. — It should have been possible for even the son 
of an English earl to understand the people of an 
American colony, but vSir George Clinton certainly did 
not. During his long term, by his controversies with 
the assembly, and his entire lack of sympathy with 
the liberty-loving spirit of the colonists, he succeeded 
in still further widening the breach already begun be- 
tween England and her colonies. In Governor Clin- 
ton's time came another struggle between France and 
England, known in Europe as the " War of the Aus- 
trian Succession ", in this country as " King George's 
War". Xew York was little affected by this con- 
test, though she sent a small artillery force to aid in 
the reduction of Louisburg. 

The French on the frontiers. — Within the colony 
of Xew York both French and English were watchful 
and active, but no serious conflict occurred. The 
French still retained Crown Point, from which safe 
retreat their scouting parties raided all the surround- 
ing country. 

In 1749 they built Fort Presentation at the mouth 
of the Oswegatchie, the present site of Ogdensburg, 
and there established a mission. This made it neces- 
sary for Governor Clinton to strengthen the defences 
of Albany, Schenectady, and Oswego; and to build a 

* Sir George was the son of the Earl of Lincoln. 
He was governor of Xew York for ten years, and after- 
ward served as governor of Xewfoundland. 



1745] Burning of Saratoga 157 

series of block-houses between Saratoga and Fort Wil- 
liam (Stanwix). These precautions made the war ex- 
penses of the colony enormous. In three years they 
amounted to fully £100,000. With a population of 
little more than 60,000, the colony of Xew York con- 
structed these fortifications and kept 1,G00 men in the 
field. 

The Iroquois. — Under the influence of the French 
priests among them, the allegiance of the Iroquois be- 
gan again to waver, so Governor Clinton went to Albany 
to hold a council with their chiefs. "After much par- 
ley and many presents " they once more agreed to aid 
the English against the French, and to " roast " every 
Jesuit that came into their territory. Governor Clin- 
ton on his part, pledged a dying Indian (small-pox was 
prevailing) that the first French scalp taken should be 
sent to that Indian's mother. Such were the ameni- 
ties of war one hundred and fifty years ago, and so 
was the old treaty solemnly renewed. 

Notwithstanding all this, the French and Canadian 
Indians swept down from Crown Point upon Saratoga 
in the autumn of 1745, burned the town, killed many 
of the inhabitants, and carried away more than one 
hundred prisoners, among them Philip Schuyler, 
brother of Peter Schuyler*. 

At this time Colonel, afterward Sir William, John- 
son was Indian commissioner. He was born in Ireland 
and came to New York to look after his uncle's vast 
estates in the Mohawk Valley. He was a brother-in- 

* With Saratoga they also destroyed the smaller town 
of Hoosic. 



158 LiEUTEXAXT-GovEKNOR DeLancey [PeHod IV 

law to Chief Justice DeLancey. By living much among 
the Indians he acquired a great influence over them. 
In consideration of his services the king granted him 
100,000 acres of land where Johnstown now stands. 
Johnson, later, becomes a very prominent figure in 
American affairs. 

The treaty of peace^ 1748. — The treaty of Aix-la 
Chapelle occurred in this year (1748), bringing once 
more a welcome peace to the colony of Xew York. 

Governor Clinton and the assembly, 1749. — 
Clinton's most unfortunate move was an attempt to 
compel the assembly to vote a permanent "support 
bill" for five years, that he might for that time at 
least be independent of the people. This the assembly 
refused to do. He informed them that he received his 
authority from a power that could set bounds to their 
privileges and alter them at pleasure. To this the 
assembly responded by declaring his conduct "arbi- 
trary and illegal ", and a violation of their rights*. 

Having now accumulated a modest fortune of £80,- 
000, the governor was able to retire, which he did to 
the great joy of the people, leaving the government 
in the hands of James DeLancey as lieutenant- 
governor f. 

DeLancey, acting governor, 1753. — Chief Jus- 

* Kent and Smith, in Colonial Journal. 

y Sir Danvers Osborn Avas appointed governor and 
reached Xew York, but within a week he committed 
suicide, so that DeLancey's administration was not in- 
terrupted; while Sir Charles Hardy, who came in 1755, 
took no active part in colonial aftairs, preferring the 
command of the fleet sent against Louisburg. 



1754] Lieutenant-Governor DeLancey 159 

tice DeLancey was a man who thoroughly knew colo- 
nial affairs. For this reason he was able to conciliate 
opposing factions and to unite them as they had not 
been united for many years. It was fortunate, for two 
great crises were at hand: the French and Indian war, 
which would tax the resources of the colony to their 
utmost, and the revolution, now but a few years away, 
when Xew York would be brought into intimate rela- 
tion to the other colonies, with which, hitherto, she had 
seldom acted. 

King's college, 1754. — It would seem that in the 
midst of these almost constant alarms all the institu- 
tions of peace would be forgotten, but we find Xew 
York at this very time making provision for the edu- 
cation of her sons. During these years the necessary 
money was raised and King's (Columbia) college was 
founded. 

SUMMARY 

1. Governor Hunter; his career; his character. 

2. The Palatines; their settlements. 

3. Governor Hunter's friends. 

4. His conflict with the assembly; the judiciary. 
o. The first negro plot. 

6. The governor and the courts. 

7. Governor Burnett; his character. 

8. Chatham's estimate of a colonial governor. 

9. Character of Peter Schuyler. 

10. Trade on Lake Champlain. 

11. The French at Niagara. 

12. The Connecticut boundary dispute; its final 
adjustment. 



IGO Summary [Period IV 

13. Governor Cosby; Van Dam; Justice Morris and 
James DeLancey. 

14. The Zenger trial ; origin, and result. 

15. The "Freedom of the city". 

IG. Governeur Morris's estimate of the trial. 

17. The second " Xegro Plot" ; rise of the panic; 
the true cause ; the result. 

18. The Scotch Highlanders. 

19. Governor Clark; his services and his savings. 

20. English affairs, 1714 to 1727. 

21. Governor Sir George Clinton; his character and 
administration. 

22. King George's war; Xew York's share. 

23. The French again on the frontiers, 1749; Xew 
York's preparations. 

24. Governor Clinton and the Iroquois. 

25. The burning of Saratoga and Hoosic. 

26. Sir William Johnson. 

27. Clinton's controversy with the assembly. 

28. Retirement of Governor Clinton. 

29. Governor DeLancey and his administration. 

30. King's college. 



CHAPTEE XVII 
The Jesuits and French Arms in Xew York 

The Jesuit missionaries. — Several things may be 
truthfully said of the work of the Jesuit missionaries 
in Xew York. 

They were a brave, self-sacrificing band, devoted to 
the church which they served. They did much to 
elevate the character of the Indians wherever they were 
able to maintain a continued foothold. These Jesuit 
fathers sincerely desired the spiritual good of the In- 
dians, and many of them sealed their title lo this char- 
acter with their blood. It is, however, probable that 
the French authorities expected through their labors 
with the savage Iroquois to wrest from the Dutch 
those possessions which they, with some show of jus- 
tice, claimed as theirs by right of the explorations of 
Champlain*. 

In 1641, two missionaries, Charles Rymbault and 
Isaac Jogues, while ascending the St. Lawrence with 
an escort of Hurons, were attacked by a band of 
Mohawks. The priests were captured and while being 
escorted from village to village were subjected to 
most cruel tortures. 

News of these outrages coming to Commissionary 

* The story of their labors in America has recently 
been fittingly told. See " Jesuit Relations and Allied 
Documents" by R. G. Thwartes, 1898. 

(161) 



162 The Jesuits axd Frexch Arms [Period IV 

A^an Curler at Fort Orange, he went to their rescue. 
He spent many days among the Mohawks, finally offer- 
ing a large ransom for the two priests. It was in vain. 
Father Rymbault was soon put to death. Father Jogues 
was spared and preached the gospel among the savage 
Mohawks for several months. At last he made his 
escape to Fort Orange, where he was befriended by 
Dominie Megapolensis, and the two became firm friends. 

Governor Kieft assisted the good priest to reach 
Europe, but in 1644 he again came to Canada, com- 
missioned as a voluntary missionary to the Mohawks. 
He believed that the time had now come to plant a 
permanent mission among the Iroquois. 

At Quebec Father Jogues made his final preparations, 
saying as he took his departure for the wilderness of 
Xew York, " I go, but shall never return." The Indians 
were soon thereafter visited by a pestilence from which 
many died. This they charged to the good father's 
influence and they put him to death. 

In 1644 Joseph Bressani, also a Jesuit, was captured 
by the Mohawks in much the same manner. He was 
subjected to the same tortures, but his life was spared. 
He was sent to Fort Orange where he was ransomed 
and assisted to go to Europe. Afterwards his zeal for 
his missionary work led him to return to his labors 
among the savages. 

With most men these experiences would have been 
considered an indication that the spirit did not call 
them to such a field. Xot so with the Jesuit fathers. In 
1653 Father Joseph Poncet entered the Mohawk coun- 
try. He, too, suffered torture and cruelties, but was 
saved by being adopted ijito an Indian family. He 



1655] Discovery of Syracuse Salt Springs 163 

labored for several months among the Mohawks and 
Onondagas. During the next year, 1654, a jealousy 
sprang up between these two tribes. This made the 
Onondagas anxious to conclude a treaty with the 
Hurons, that they might strengthen their power with 
additional warriors to fill the places of those they had 
lost in battle. 

Accordingly they sent an embassy to the governor 
of Canada asking that a mission such as the Hurons 
had might be established in their country. In answer 
to this request. Father Simon Le Moyne, who had 
spent many years among the Hurons, was sent to them. 
He met deputies from several tribes and a mission was 
founded in the Onondaga country during the year 1654. 

It took some time to appease the anger of the Mo- 
hawks, who, claiming to keep the " eastern door " of 
the " Iroquois Long House ", felt that Father Le 
Moyne should first have visited them. The gentle 
diplomacy of the priest finally prevailed, and an arrange- 
ment was made that he should soon visit their country 
also. It was on his visit to the Onondagas that Father 
Le Moyne discovered the salt springs destined in later 
years to be a source of revenue to the State. The 
Indians had been afraid of the water; but when the 
father in their presence, made real salt from it, their 
confidence in him was greatly strengthened. 

The following year, 1655, a permanent mission was 
established near the salt springs, where the Indians 
built a rude chapel of bark. There two fathers, Joseph 
Chaumonout and Claude Dablon, were established. 
This mission soon bore fruit. It is not to be supposed 
that the French would be satisfied with ministering 



164 The Jesuits and Fre^^ch Arms [Period IV 

only to the spiritual needs of the Indians. In the next 
year, 1656, it was determined to establish a French 
colony at Onondaga lake. 

In May of the same year more missionaries under 
Father Le Mercier and a colony of Frenchmen under 
Sieur D up ays set out for the country of the Onon- 
dagas. Arriving in July they took possession " in the 
name of Christ and France", and erected cabins and 
a redoubt for the five pieces of artillery which, wisely, 
they had brought with them. 

The Mohawks were jealous and held themselves aloof, 
but the Oneidas and Cayugas welcomed the mission- 
aries, and asked that resident priests be sent to them *. 
In this manner, with priests and soldiers, the cross and 
the sword, France pushed her way into the heart of 
the Dutch possessions. But the Amsterdam directors 
of the AVest India Company saw more than missions 
in this invasion of their rights, and warned Governor 
Stuyvesant to be on his guard. The old warlike spirit 
of the Iroquois had not greatly changed. Some con- 
verted Hurons were massacred; Governor D'Aille- 
bourst of Canada retaliated by imprisoning some 
Iroquois whom he had captured, and the faithful labors 
of the priests were all undone. The Indians, anxious 
for the safety of their imprisoned warriors, begged 
Father Le Moyne to go to Quebec and obtain their 
release. This he undertook to do, but going by way 
of Fort Orange, he paid a visit to Xew Amsterdam, 

'j^ In justice to the Indians, it should be said that 
when the "presents" from Canada began to fail, and 
Frenchmen began to act very much like Dutch traders, 
their regard for Christianity grew cold. 



1665] No Frekch Colonies in Xew York 165 

where he made the acquaintance of Dominie Mega- 
polensis, as Father Jogues had done before him *. 
Here he tarried too long. The Indians became uneasy, 
and the French at Onondaga fearful. 

Inviting all the Indians to a feast which was pro- 
longed to a late hour, the French, while the Indians 
slept, abandoned everything, and softly stole away to 
Canada. 

For many years thereafter missionaries continued to 
enter the Iroquois territory; but this was the end of 
French attempts to plant colonies within the bound- 
aries of the State. In the next year, 1659, the whole 
Iroquois confederacy was at war with the Canadians. 

About the only pleasant remembrance of this at- 
tempt to plant a French colony in our State is the fact 
that while across the Atlantic religious intolerance was 
at its very worst, in America popish priests and Ee- 
formed Dutch dominies were showing each other 
Christian kindness. 

French arms in New York, 1665. — Louis XIV 
did not by any means abandon his attempt to retain at 
least that part of New York which borders on the St. 
Lawrence. Year by year the contest was renewed. 
In 1665 a thousand veteran French soldiers were sent 
over under command of Marquis de Tracy. He as- 

* Good resulted from this visit. Through Father Le 
Moyne the Dutch first heard of the salt springs; 
through his influence a sort of commercial treaty with 
New France was negotiated. This treaty was for trade 
with the French only. It very expressly stated that 
the Dutch should not trade with the Canadian Indians 
nor " meddle with religious affairs ". 



lOG The Jesl'its axd French Arms [Period IV 

cended the Sorel*, and at the rapids built Ft. Chambly. 
A little above that he built Fort St. Theresa, and 
later, on Lake Champlain, Fort La Motte. 

From these garrisoned places, he was able to carry 
on his campaigns. He succeeded in making a treaty 
with all the Iroquois except the Oneidas and the 
Mohawks. These he determined to humble, and he 
was finally successful, but not until he had received 
abundant proof of their prowess in battle. After this, 
missions were again established among all the tribes, 
and they seemed for a time entirely alienated from the 
English. 

Frontenac governor of Canada^ 1672. — In 16?2 
Count Frontenac was appointed governor of Canada. 
He was one of the most prominent soldiers of France. 
His orders were to "clear Xew York of the English 
and unite Canada with Louisiana ", and he set about 
his work in earnest. LTnfortunately, he quarrelled 
with the priests, whom he accused of caring more 
for pelts than for souls, and this caused his temporary 
recall. 

De La Barre governor of Canada^ 168*2. — De 

La Barre, who succeeded Frontenac, found the Iroquois 
ready to break their treaty with the French and again 
become allies of the English. This had come about 
through their jealousy of certain western tribes with 
which the French had made treaties, and also through 
the successful management of English agents sent 
among them for that purpose. 

Invasion of New York. — De La Barre decided at 

* Named from the French engineer, Saurel. 



1687] Friendship OF THE Iroquois Sought 167 

once to punish the troublesome Iroquois. With an 
army of 1,750 men he marched to attack them; but 
his troops suffered so much from famine and conse- 
quent sickness that he was obliged to treat for peace 
with the very tribes he had come to exterminate. 

For this purpose he invited the Iroquois chiefs to 
meet him in his camp for a " talk ". Only three of 
them came. Garangula, the chief of the Onondagas, 
was one and to him the " talk " was addressed. De 
La Barre reminded him how powerful the French were, 
and that they lived in peace with the Algonquins. 
He accused the Iroquois of being in league with the 
English, and threatened entire extermination if they 
did not forsake them and join the French. 

Garangula knew the condition of De La Barre's 
troops and was very bold. He said, " We Iroquois go 
where we please; we buy and sell what we please. 
Your allies are slaves; command them, and not the 
Iroquois." He further plainly intimated that De La 
Barre with his troops had better return to Canada, or 
the Iroquois, with " Corlear " (Van Curler) would go 
with them. 

De La Barre's failure led to his recall in 1(38-4 and 
De Xonville was appointed governor. He entered 
upon the same undertaking as his predecessor, with 
more disastrous results, being ambushed and defeated 
with great loss. In 1687 he, also, was recalled and 
Frontenac was returned. 

The friendship of the Iroquois was now industri- 
ously sued for by both parties. Frontenac, on his part, 
sent to them Millet, a French priest, who had lived 
many years among the Oneidas. He succeeded in 



168 The Jesuits and French Arms [Period IV 

winning over to the French both the Oneidas and the 
Cayugas, while the other tribes maintained their alle- 
giance to the English. 

King William's war, 1689-1697.— The English 
revolution of 1688 brought additional trouble to all 
the American colonies. The struggle which had been 
inter-colonial, now became international. 

Louis XIV having espoused the cause of the fugi- 
tive James II, England and France were now at war. 

Xations attack each other through their colonies*. 
In this country King William's war was but an inci- 
dent in the long struggle between France and Eng- 
land for the possession of the continent. In this way 
the eastern colonies became involved in what had here- 
tofore been New York's quarrel only. 

Froiiteuac invades New York^ 1690. — The first 
heavy blow fell on the Mohawk Valley. In February, 
1690, a force of French and Indians were sent with 
orders to attempt the capture of Albany. The first 
attack was made on Schenectady, then a village of 
about 80 houses, surrounded by a stockade. The 
weather was intensely cold, the snow deep, and the 
villagers were off their guard. The assault came at mid- 
night. Sixty-three persons, including the little gar- 
rison, were massacred, many were carried into captivity 
and the town was destroyed. A few escaped, nearly 
frozen, to Albany, gave the alarm there, and saved 
it from destruction, f 

* As in the Cuban war, 1898, the United States took 
Manila. 

t This was during Leisler's administration and oc- 
casioned the call for his colonial congress. See page 127. 



1696] French Invasions 169 

In January, 1693, Frontenac assembled an army at 
Fort Chambly, on Lake Champlain, and again invaded 
the Mohawk country. Peter Schuyler marched against 
him with a force of mililtia, and the French were 
obliged to retire. 

For three years longer the Iroquois, standing between 
the two combatants, suffered more than either of them. 

Fronteiiac's last invasion, 1696. — In the summer 
of 1696 the restless Frontenac made his final invasion. 

He rebuilt Fort Frontenac, which had been destroyed, 
and marched up the Oswego river with 2,200 men, — 
regulars, Canadians, and Canadian Indians. Before 
this force, the Onondagas were compelled to retire. 
The tribes were in such extremity that they were 
obliged to depend on the English for food. In this 
invasion Frontenac gained little, while the English, 
by their management entirely recovered their control 
over the wavering minds of the Indians. 

Frontenac, now an old man, was carried on a litter by 
his soldiers. In 1698 he died and with him went, in a 
large measure, the power of the French in 'New York. 

Meantime, in 1697, the treaty of Ryswyck had for a 
short period brought peace between France and Eng- 
land, and a grateful quiet came to the people of Xew 
York who, from the founding of the colony, had hardly 
known rest from strife. 

SUMxMART 

1. Character and work of Jesuit missionaries. 

2. Effect of their labors among Iroquois. 

3. English view of their purpose. 

4. Fathers Rymbault and Jogues in New York. 



170 Summary [Period IV 

5. Father Jogues and Dominie Megapolensis. 

6. Father Jogues's death. 

7. Bressani and Poncet. 

8. Labors of Father Le Moyne. 

9. French attempt to plant a colony among Onon- 
dagas. 

10. Father Le Moyne's mission to Canada. 

11. Jesuit priests and Dutch dominies. 

12. De La Barre's invasion and Garangula. 

13. Frontenac and Millet, 1688. 

14. King William's war; origin of; effect in New 
York. 

15. Frontenac's invasion and burning of Schenec- 
tady, 1690. 

16. Frontenac at Fort Chambly, 1693. 

17. Frontenac's last invasion, 1696; the Onon- 
dagas. 



PERIOD V 

THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR, 

1754-1763 



CHAPTER XVIIT 
A Strife for Territory 

Conflict becomes national. — In previous contro- 
versies with France, Xew York had been the chief in 
terested party. Her territory had repeatedly been in- 
vaded, its integrity threatened, and across her borders 
almost constant inroads of savage warfare had been 
made, destroying her towns and hindering her growth. 

In the difficulty now pending, New York was again 
to be the greatest sufferer, but the territorial rights of 
Great Britain and many of the colonies were to be 
involved also. 

French fortifications. — The far-sighted policy of 
France had completely hemmed in the English settle- 
ments, and looked forward to the ultimate extinction 
of the power of Great Britain on this continent. The 
lines of France extended from the mouth of the St. 
Lawrence to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the borders 
of New York Forts Crown Point, Presentation, Fron- 
tenac, and Niagara made a complete chain ; while the 
Ohio, from its source to the Mississippi was navigated 
only by French voyageurs, and was defended by strong: 

military posts. 

(171) 



172 A Strife for Territory [Period V 

English statesmen saw the growing danger. The 
special interest of the colonies lay in the fact that by 
many of their charters their possessions extended 
indefinitely to the westward. 

What was at stake. — The conflict began with the 
attempt of Virginia to colonize the lands she claimed 
on the headwaters of the Ohio. Xeedless as this war 
seemed to men of that time, its purpose in the provi- 
dential development of our country can now be plainly, 
seen. It settled forever the long pending claim of 
French domination on this continent. It determined 
that here should be established a great liberty-loving, 
English-speaking nation, with complete toleration for 
every shade of religious preference, in place of a threat- 
ened dependency, governed in part by the king of 
France, and in part by the Vatican at Rome. It de- 
veloped the spirit of political and religious liberty; 
it taught the colonies their power; it united them for 
the great struggle against English oppression, and 
against ecclesiastical interference which hindered their 
expansion and growth. 

The French in this country were few, as compared 
with the English, but they were thoroughly united, 
and amply aided by the home government; while the 
English colonies had never acted in concert and had 
for many years been engaged in rancorous controver- 
sies with the mother-country. 

The Albany congress, 1754.— In June, 1754, at 
the suggestion of the English secretary of state, dele- 
gates from seven colonies met at Albany to consider 
the importance of forming a colonial confederation. 
-Chiefs from several Indian tribes met with them. 




1754] The Albajs-y Coi^gress 173 

At this congress, over which Governor DeLancey pre- 
sided, the treaty with the 
Iroquois was again renewed 
(with the usual presents), and 
Dr. Franklin presented a 
plan for the union of all the 
colonies, which was the very 
germ of our present national 
constitution. 

The proposed plan of 
union. — Dr. Franklin's 
TJEN.IAMIN FRANKLIN. 1706-1790 p]^^ ^^g ^^ ^^gj^ parliament 

to sanction a union of all the colonies under one gen- 
eral government, to be administered by a president 
and council appointed by the crown, with a grand 
council to be elected by the people of the several 
colonies*. This plan of union was subsequently re- 
jected by the colonies on the ground that it was too 
aristocratic, and by the English government on the 
ground that it was too democratic. 

'New York takes action. — Governor De Lancey 
now became of real service in putting New York in 
condition to meet the storm. From the assembly he 
procured a vote to raise £5,000 for the immediate de- 
fence of the colony, followed the next year by an issue 
of bills of credit for £45,000 more. The assembly 
also authorized the enlistment of 800 men, and made 
other provisions for defence. 

* It is a remarkable coincidence that this plan of 
union was signed on the Jf.th day of July, the very day 
Washington surrendered to the French at Fort Neces- 
sity, and twenty-two years before the adoption of the 
Declaration of Independence. 



174 



A Strife for Territory [Period V 



The Virginia confereiiee^ 1755.— In 1755 General 
Braddock was sent over to lead an army of British 
regulars against the French. In April he called a 
conference of governors at Alexandria, Va., where a 
plan for a campaign was agreed on. It was decided 
to send out four expeditions. One was to recover the 
valley of the Ohio; another to drive the French from 
Fort Xiagara; a third to attempt the capture of Crown 
Point; the fourth to reduce Nova Scotia. 

The first year of the wai^ 1755. — Early in June 
Braddock set out to take charge of the Pennsylvania 
campaign, the objective point being Fort Duquesne. 
This w^as a failure. Braddock lost more than one-half 
of his army, and thus Xew York became the centre of 
operations. 

Governor William Shirley, who was to command the 
expedition against Xiagara, got no farther than Os- 
wego, when, concluding to postpone operations for one 
year, he returned to Albany. 

Expedition against Crown Point. — For the ex- 
pedition against Crown Point, 
General William Johnson was 
selected as commander. His 
departure was delayed until 
August, thus giving plenty 
of time for the French to 
concentrate all their forces 
against him. When finally 
^^^^jdl^HHI^ he left Albany, he carried an 
abundance of stores and ar- 
siR William Johnson, 1715-1774 tiHery, and had Under him a 




1755] The War Begins 175 

force of 3,400 whites and a company of Mohawks un- 
der King Hendrick * and Joseph Brantf, then a lad of 
thirteen. 

At Fort Edward were gathered the Xew England 
troops under General Lyman and Colonel Williams, 
with 250 Indians. On Johnson's arrival in the latter 
part of August, 1755, the advance began toward Lake 
George. The French commander had not been idle. 
He had strengthened Crown Point by sending there 
Baron Dieskau with a force of 3,000 men, 800 of 
whom were French grenadiers. From Crown Point 

* Hendrick, or King Hendrick, a famous Mohawk 
chief, was killed at Lake George. He had visited Eng- 
land, where he had received much attention. 




King Hendrick, 1690-1755 Joseph Brant, Thayendanegea 

1742-1806 

t Joseph Brant was one of the most noted Mohawk 
chiefs. He was educated by Sir William Johnson, and 
became his secretary. With Johnson, he espoused the 
cause of the English in the revolution, and was a 
leader in many of the terrible massacres of that period. 
He opposed the sale of liquors to the Indians, and 
assisted in translating a prayer-book into the Mohawk 
language. 



176 A Steife for Territory [Period Y 

Dieskau led a strong force of French and Indians in- 
tending to capture Fort Edward and cut off* Johnson's 
retreat. 

Battle near Lake George. — The advance guards of 
the two parties met in an ambuscade planned by the 
French. Both Williams and Hendrick fell at the first 
fire, and a retreat toward the main body of the Eng- 
lish was ordered. A desperate conflict followed. 
Dieskau was early wounded and captured. Johnson 
was severely wounded. Sometimes the advantage was 
with one party, and sometimes with the other, but in 
a few hours the French began to yield ground, and 
soon were in full retreat. They had lost 400 killed 
and wounded ; the English 300. Crown Point had not 
been taken but the French had been defeated. Xeither 
party was in a condition to renew the contest. 

The Xova Scotia expedition succeeded in causing 
great suffering, but did not greatly weaken the French*. 

SUMMARY 

1. The policy of France; her preparation for the 
struggle. 

2. Xew York's interests. 

3. Interests of other colonies. 

4. Relative condition of colonies and Canadian 
French. 

5. The Albany Congress of 1754; object and dele- 
gates. 

6. Dr. Franklin's plan of union; objections to it. 

7. Xew York's action. 

* Read story of "Acadians " in Longfellow's Evan- 
geline. 



1755] Sl^mmary 177 

8. The Virginia conference. 

9. The first year of war, 1755; plan of campaign 
and results; names prominent in campaign. 



CHAPTER XIX 

Three Years of Fightixg, 1756-1758 

War formally declared. — In May Great Britain 
formally declared war against France, and sent over 
the Earl of Loudon to take command of her forces 
on this side of the Atlantic. The remnant of Brad- 
dock's army was brought to X'ew York, and fresh levies 
were made until the earl had more than 10,000 men 
under his command. 

Capture of Oswego. — The French now sent over 
to Canada as commander Marquis Montcalm, a field 

marshal of France, who be- 
gan operations at once. His 
Indians poured into the val- 
ley of the Mohawk, and took 
the forts about Rome. They 
captured the supplies in- 
tended for Oswego, and were 
soon before the forts at that 
place. Its outposts were 
taken, and their guns turned 

Philip Schutlek, 1733-1804 .-, . i i j.i 

on the mam works, when the 
surrender of the fort became necessary. Its gallant 
commander, Colonel Mercer, had fallen after a brave 
defence, in which many men had perished. The re- 
mainder of the garrison, 1,600 men, including the 
brave Philip Schuyler, were prisoners of war. 

(178) 




1757] Surrender of Fort William Henry 179 

The consequences were most serious. The fort held 
immense stores which had been carried there at great 
expense, and with these went 120 cannon, six vessels, 
300 boats, and the money intended for the payment of 
the troops. 

The French, instead of retaining Oswego, removed 
all the guns and stores, entirely demolished the works, 
and abandoned the place. 

The third year^ 1757.— This year was to be 
marked with even more incompetence on the part of 
the British. The Earl of Loudon (see portrait, page 
184), finding nothing to do in Xew York, left affairs in 
the hands of Governor DeLancey, and took command 
of the expedition against Louisburg, which proved a 
disastrous failure. 

General Webb with a force of 6,000 men was expected 
to conduct a campaign against Montcalm, now well 
established on Xew York soil. Webb's first act was 
so to scatter his force as to make it an easy prey to the 
watchful Montcalm, who soon appeared on Lake 
Champlain. 

Siege of Fort William Henry.— Advancing to 
Lake George with 8,000 men and a train of artillery, 
Montcalm laid siege to Fort William Henry, garrisoned 
by 500 men under Colonel Munro. A large force of pro- 
vincials was encamped within easy supporting distance, 
and General Webb with 4,000 men was only fifteen 
miles away at Fort Edward ; but no aid was sent to 
Munro, whom Montcalm summoned to surrender. He 
refused and sent to Webb, begging for re-inforcements. 
Webb's only reply was a letter to Munro, telling him 
that he had better surrender; and this, when his guns 



180 



Recall of the Earl of Loudon [Period V 



had become useless, and his ammunition was exhausted, 
he was obliged to do. 

Montcalm promised complete protection to all pris- 
oners, but this he either neglected, or was unable to 
give, and the greater number of the garrison were 
murdered by the savage Indian allies of the French. 
Fortunately for General Webb, Montcalm did not 
advance farther, but turned his attention to the 
Mohawk Valley, which was once more laid waste*. 
Thus, in disaster, ended another year's campaign. 
Pitt to the rescue. — The most fortunate event of 
the year 1757 was the recall 
of the Earl of Loudon. The 
king was alarmed at seeing, 
thus far, but two results of 
the war; his troops had been 
defeated, and the provincials 
were growing more convinced 
of their superiority over the 
English. William Pitt was 
now made premier in the 
hope that he could retrieve 
the fortunes of his country. His only promise to the 
king was, " Give me your confidence and I will deserve 
it," while he won the regard of the Americans by say- 
ing, " We need their cooperation, and to receive it we 
must be just to them." 

The fourth year^ 1758. — The old plan was again 
adopted. The three points of attack were Louisburg;. 

* At Palatine village forty were murdered and 250 
taken into captivity. 




M I'm. ICarl OF Chat- 
ham. 1708-1778 



1758] 



Attack oi^ Ticonderoga 



181 




James Abercrombie. 1706-1781 



Ticonderoga, and Fort Duquesne. The colonies were 
soon ready. New York furnished 3,000 men. Twelve 
thousand more under Amherst were destined for Louis- 
burg, and with him was the 
immortal Wolfe. General 
i\bercrombie and Lord Howe 
with 7,000 regulars and 7,000 
Americans advanced against 
Ticonderoga, and General 
Joseph Forbes was to lead 
another army against Fort 
Duquesne. Amherst and 
AVolfe were successful. The 
islands of Cape Breton and 
Prince Edward were taken after a campaign of only 
two months. 

Death of Lord Howe. — General Abercrombie and 

Jf' ~ Lord Howe were in the for- 

p ests about Lake George, and 

1^ '" with them was the largest 

P '^ "'" * ^ army New York had ever 
A seen. Lord Howe com- 

manded a regiment only, but 
his courage, and his court- 
esy to the American officers 
won their regard, while his 
early death gave a touch 
of sadness to his career. 

The energetic Colonel Bradstreet had everything 
ready for the transportation of the army to the north- 
ern end of Lake^ George. The landing was safely 




^:?J,'?V 



Lord George Augustus Howe, 
1724-1758 



18-2 Capture of Fort Froxtenac [Period V 

made at dawn of the next day, and Lord Howe at 
once advanced with his regiment. The country was a 
tangle of forest and stream; they became bewildered 
in the thicket, met a French scouting party and were 
fired upon. The French were defeated with consider- 
able loss, but Lord Howe was mortally wounded, and 
the whole army retreated to the landing place. 

Repulse at Ticonderoga. — Abercrombie had not 
yet learned respect for the opinions of the "Pro- 
vincials ", and hearing that Ticonderoga was defended 
by a small force only, ordered its assault, although 
Stark had reported that the works were very strong 
and needed artillery for their reduction. Xo attention 
was paid to this advice; the assault was made, and the 
assaulting column was repulsed with heavy loss. 

Having now needlessly lost 2,000 men, Abercrombie 
ordered a retreat, which soon became a rout, with the 
commanding general at the head. Later it was found 
that he had been opposed by only 2,000 men, and had 
he taken Stark's advice might easily have carried the 
war to the St. Lawrence. 

Capture of Fort Frontenac. — The daring Brad- 
street, after much solicitation obtained permission to 
attempt the capture of Fort Frontenac, as an offset to 
the shameful defeat just sustained. With him went 
Major Philip Schuyler, and they were allowed 3,000 
men and artillery. With this small force, Brad street 
proceeded to Oswego from Albany, and from that post 
in open boats across Lake Ontario to the vicinity of 
the fort. So rapid had been Bradstreet's movements, 
the French had not been able to re-enforce the small 



1738] Bright Outlook for the Colonies 183 

garrison, and in two days it capitulated. The fort 
mounted sixty guns and contained a large amount of 
ammunition and stores designed for Fort Duquesne, 
which the French could ill afford to lose. The fall of 
Fort Frontenac broke the line of French fortifications 
on the north, and this, with the loss of needed stores, 
compelled the capitulation of Fort Duquesne. 

Fort Staiiwix built. — On Bradstreet's return, 
sickness broke out among his troops and many died, 
yet he tarried long enough to build Fort Stanwix, on 
the site of Rome, and before winter reached Albany 
with his prisoners and all the stores they had been able 
to bring with them. 

The French in extremity. — Montcalm was now in 
extremity. A severe drouth had ruined Canadian 
crops, and the people were suffering for food, while 
France, involved in European wars, could render little 
aid. But Montcalm was a man of unconquerable 
spirit. He wrote a friend at this time, "We are not 
discouraged, but are resolved to find our graves under 
the ruins of this colony." 

SUMMARY 

1. The second year, 1756; the campaigns planned 
and results. 

2. The third year, 1757; plans and failures. 

3. Pitt to the rescue; his promise to the king; the 
preparations in England and America. 

4. The fourth year, 1758; the campaigns; Xew 
York's share; the results; losses and successes. 

5. Montcalm ; trials and resolution. 



CHAPTER XX 

The Last Year, 1759 

A year of victories. — It was plain that the tinal 
campaign was at hand. Pitt now obtained from his 
government a vote of £12,000,000 for the American 
service, and the largest force ever sent across the 
Atlantic was provided to operate on both land and sea*. 

Three campaigns were again marked ont; two in 
New York and ojie on the St. Lawrence, — the latter to 
be under command of General AVolfe, who had a 
fleet bearing 8,000 soldiers. 

General x^mherst with 12,000 men was to move 




John t'.. Karl of Loldon. 1705-1782 




Lord Jeffrey Amherst, 1717-1 



north against Ticonderoga and Crown Point, and after 
reducing these places was expected to coiiperate with 
Wolfe against Quebec. General Prideaux was to take 

* The New York assembly voted half a million dol- 
lars in bills of credit, and loaned a large amount to 
the crown. 

a84) 



1759] Capture of TicoiirDEROGA 185 

Niagara, and then move eastward to join the others. 
To General Stanwix was given the care of the frontier. 

Capture of Fort Niagara.— General Prideaux, 
accompanied by Johnson and his faithful Mohawks, 
gathered all his forces at Oswego. Early in July he 
reached Niagara and began the siege. The defence of 
the fort was stubborn ; Prideaux was killed in the first 
attack and Johnson took command. A large party of 
French and Indians attempting to re-enforce the fort 
was defeated, and on the 25th of July the place sur- 
rendered. 

Capture of Ticonderoga. — Meantime, General 
Amherst, by way of the Hudson river and Lake 
George, had brought his army in the vicinity of Ticon- 
deroga. Twice at this point had an army been turned 
back, defeated. Amherst determined to be cautious. 
But this time the French commander in those parts 
had orders not to risk an engagement, but to hinder 
the enemy as much as possible, and then fall back to 
the support of his chief. Accordingly he dismantled 
Ticonderoga and retired to Crown Point, and then to 
an island in the Sorel river. Here he made a stand 
and successfully hindered Amherst until winter*. 

Capture of Quebec. — The story of AYolfe's cam- 
paign against Quebec is a familiar one. Having done 
all that was possible until re-inforcements arrived, he 
waited for Prideaux, who never came; for the drums 
of Amherst, which he never heard. Months of weary 
waiting, anxiety and fever, wasted the noble comman- 

* It was during those months that Amherst built the 
historic stone fort at Crown Point. 



186 A Year of Victory [Period V 

der. At last he called a council of his officers and 
informed them of his purpose to scale the heights of 
Abraham and assault Quebec. 

Feeble as he was he led that apparently hopeless 
charge. He and the equally brave Montcalm both fell 





James Wolfe. 1727-1759 Marquis de Montcalm, 1712-1759 

in the moment of an English victory ; the one exclaim- 
ing " Do the French run ? Then I die happy: " the 
other, " 'Tis well, for I shall not live to see the sur- 
render of Quebec." 

In all the annals of war it is hard to find the record 
of a more gallant achievement, a more heroic defence 
or finer examples of patriotic devotion. Every school- 
boy should know it by heart, as he should, like 
Wolfe, learn to love " Gray's Elegy ", that he too, may 
comprehend that, 

" The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power. 
All that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave, 
Await alike th' inevitable hour; 

The paths of glory lead but to the grave." 

Quebec surrendered on the 18th of September, 
Montreal was taken the next year, and the frontiers 
of Xew York, for the first time, were secure. 



1759] Summary 187 

The treaty of Paris^ 1763. — By the treaty of Paris 
signed in 1763, France lost all her possessions in Amer- 
ica, with the exception of two small islands in the Gulf 
of St. Lawrence, allowed as a refuge for her fishermen;, 
while England acquired all east of the Mississippi 
river, from the frozen regions of the north to the 
Gulf of Mexico*. 

SUMMARY 

1. The fifth year, 1759; preparations for final 
struggle; the plans; expenses; New York's share;, 
bills of credit. 

2. Names prominent ; Wolfe, Montcalm, and Quebec. 

3. Crown Point. 

4. Results of campaigns 

5. The "Treaty of Paris"; its conditions. 

* It was found that France by a secret treaty had 
ceded her possessions west of the Mississippi river to 
Spain. In 1803 Spain re-ceded this to France, and a 
few years after the same territory was purchased from 
the latter country by the United States. 



CHAPTER XXI 

Xew York at the Close of the War 

Cost of the war. — It is difficult to estimate the 
cost of war. Into the equation must enter many 
complex terms. The French and Indian war had cost 
the colonies 25,000 men and 25 millions of dollars, 
and it had doubled the national debt of England. 
During the eight years the colonies had taxed them- 
selves freely for its prosecution until their resources 
were exhausted. Their industries were prostrated, 
their commerce was gone, the flower of their popula- 
tion had perished. 

On Xew York this desolation had fallen with double 
severity, for across her borders the invading armies of 
France with their savage Indian allies had swept again 
and again. The frontier settlements were destroyed, 
and far into the interior farms had been pillaged and 
villages burned. The colony had no revenues, but was 
burdened with a debt that it seemed impossible ever 
to pay, while thousands of her citizens had fallen in 
battle. 

Results of the war. — We may well wonder at the 
indomitable spirit with which the people of Xew 
York faced the future. Instead of despair came a 
courage born of success. Over the colony there settled 
a sense of security never before known, as the little 
volunteer army was disbanded and the men returned 

(188) 



1760] Eesults of the War 189 

to their homes to take up once more the battle of life 
in a wilderness. Many of them had to rebuild the 
homes that had been burned and their families scat- 
tered by the invading armies. 

Here and there could be seen a solitary chimney in 
the midst of a heap of ashes, to which no family re- 
turned ; and small clearings grown up to briars, where 
the cheerful ring of the settler's ax was heard no more. 
He had fallen at Crown Point or Ticonderoga or Fron- 
tenac or Niagara. 

One result of the war could be plainly seen: the 
people had become intensely attached to the country 
they had defended, and the spirit of patriotism that 
animated all classes brought them into closer relations 
with each other. Beside the men of New York city 
the backwoods settler had fought, while with both had 
mingled the New England volunteers, and all had 
learned to know and respect one another. By the fus- 
ing of a complex aggregation of many nationalities, 
had been formed a homogeneous community. It had 
transformed a colony of straggling settlements into 
an independent state, bold, self-reliant, conscious of its 
power, while it had not strengthened the ties which 
bound the colonies to the mother-country. 

With all its horrors, war has its compensations. The 
march of armies across the State had necessitated the 
building of military roads; and through these New 
York had become more thoroughly known than any 
other colony, while the forts and block-houses built 
for defence became, later, the sites of thriving towns. 



190 Xew York at the close of the War [Period V 

Thus at Fort Stanwix* grew up the city of Rome; at 
Fort Schuyler, Utica; and near Niagara the city of 
Niagara Falls. 

The war and the Indians. — There was another 
and a sad side to this long war. The Indian had suf- 
fered, but he had gained nothing, and his intercourse 
with the whites had not improved him. 

The Iroquois brave in his wigwam brooded over the 
past, and it dawned slowly upon his clouded intellect 
that he had been used only to defend the homes of his 
pale-faced neighbors. Then followed the vision of 
Hiawatha : 

" Then a darker, drearier vision passed before me vague 
and cloud-like; 

I beheld oar nation scattered, all forgetful of my 
counsels, 

Weakened, warring with each other; 

Saw the remnants of our people sweeping westward, 
wild and woeful, 

Like the cloud-rack of a tempest, like the withered 
leaves of Autumn! " 

In his own way he reasoned: " Hitherto, two nations 
have contended for my favor, now neither wants me; 
I am in the way. The whites, no longer engaged in 
destroying each other, will soon turn to destroy me." 

One of the Indians illustrated this by taking a pair 

* Colonel Elias Dayton in 1776 changed the name 
of Fort Stanwix, Rome, to Fort Schuyler, and during 
the revolutionary period it was commonly known by 
the latter name. In this way it has been confounded 
with Fort Schuyler at Utica. — Wager^s History of 
Oneida county. 



1763] PoNTiAc's Eebellion 191 

of shears from the hand of a white woman, and saying 
as he pointed to one blade, " This French," and point- 
ing to the other "This English." Then placing a 
piece of cloth between he said, " This Indian," as he 
brought the blades together, cutting the cloth in two 
pieces. 

Pontiac's rebellion, 1763. — From this feeling of 
the Indian sprang Pontiac's rebellion, which was a 
daring effort by certain tribes to recover what had been 
lost during the war. Pontiac, an Ottawa chief, planned 
a conspiracy for the massacre of all the garrisons at 
the forts west of Xiagara. The Iroquois were not 
drawn into this bold scheme which soon failed. Pon- 
tiac fell by the hand of one of his own people. 

New York in 1760. — The close of the war gave an 
impetus to immigration not only from the old world, 
but from the neighboring colonies. The population 
of the city of New York was about 14,000; that of 
the colony probably 250,000. 

The settlements were scattered about the sound, the 
bays, and along the rivers, for there were few roads 
or bridges and transportation was mainly by water. 
There was no regular public conveyance, and one be- 
ginning a journey could never, in advance, determine 
when, nor indeed where it would end. 

Brooklyn was but a hamlet, smaller than several 
other towns on Long Island, and between it and New 
York was no established ferry. The passage was made 
in small, open boats; in winter it was often attended 
by much real danger. 

Post-offices had not been established. Letters were 



192 Xew York at the close of the War [Period V 



entrusted to chance conveyance and newspapers were 
rare. Few factories existed. Each family, except the 
wealthy class, produced all that was needed for its own 
use. In the "settlements" domestic animals were 
few in number, for property was insecure. Game and 
fish formed a staple in the food of the household. The 
settler depended on his rifle for protection and for 
food. Two qualifications ranked high, — skill with the 
ax, and unerring aim with the flint-lock musket. 

School? existed, but they were few and teachers 
were poorly paid. Xearly 
all could read and the few- 
books in a family were read 
and re-read until quite com- 
mitted to memory. 

Literary matters were not 
neglected in the larger towns. 
The New York Society Li- 
brary * had been founded 
in 1754, and in the same year 
Kings college f had received 
its charter. 

Outside the towns, life was very primitive indeed. 
A chance traveller who reached a settler's cabin was 
made welcome, not only because the people were natur- 
ally hospitable, but because another man in the house 
counted one more for its defence, since being on a 

*The "Library" was founded by Dr. Cadwallader 
Colden, James De Lancey, Philip Livingstone, Peter 
Schuyler, and others. 

t The first president of King's (Columbia) college 
was Rev. William Samuel Johnson, D.D. , 




William Samlel Johnson, 
1727-1819 



1760] Life in a Country Sparsely Settled 193 

journey he must be armed, for the dread of a lurking 
savage foe still brooded over every frontier home. 

Then again a traveller who had come any great dis- 
tance could tell them of the outside world from which 
they seemed so separated. Very often he brought news 
of friends and acquaintances in other settlements or 
could tell them of life in the great city of Xew York. 

Sometimes a new family moved into the woods and 
so would be neighbors to another, not more than a 
mile or two away. This was always an important 
event. The first settler felt safer, bade the new-comer 
welcome, received him into his own cabin, shared with 
him his food, and assisted him to build the log house 
which was to be his home. 

Life was not so serious as it may seem, for they had 
their sports. A " bee " was particularly enjoyed. 
From miles around they gathered to " roll a house " 
or "log a clearing". At these there were feats of 
strength and skill, and when the work was done, there 
was feasting as well. 

SUMMARY 

1. Cost of the war; effect on Kew York. 

2. Results of the war. 

3. Conditions after it. 

4. Compensations. 

5. The war and the Indians. 

6. Pontiac's rebellion. 

7. New York in 1760; conditions of life in town and 
country. 



PERIOD VI 



GROWTH OF REVOLUTIONARY SENTI- 
MENT IN NEW YORK, 1760-1775 



CHAPTER XXII 

The Stamp Act 

Dr. Colden and the judiciary, 1760.— The year 
1760 was an important one in the history of the Xew 
York colony. On July 30th Governor DeLancey died 
suddenly at his home in Xew York. He was the last 
native Xew Yorker to occupy the governor's chair by 
appointment from the crown. 

Dr. Cadwallader Colden, already seventy-three years 
of age, as senior member of 
the council succeeded to the 
office of governor. He had 
lived long in the colony; he 
was a man of uncommon en- 
dowments, fond of scientific 
and literary pursuits, and he 
was a strong royalist. 

By the death of DeLancey 
the office of chief justice be- 
came vacant. One of Dr. 
Colden's first acts was to recommend to the crown the 
appointment of one Pratt of Massachusetts to the 

(194) 




Cadwallader Colden, 




1760] Taxation^ without Representation 195 

vacancy*. The people resented this act, for they saw 
in it an attempt to make the judiciary independent of 
the assembly, and that body refused to vote the salary 
asked for his support. 

Changes in England. — More trouble was in store 

for the colonists. On the 25th 

of October, 1760, George II 

died, and his grandson Prince 

George ascended the throne 

as King George III, when but 

twenty-two years of age. It 

would have been hard to find 

in all Europe a prince more 

unfitted by habit and charac- 

geokge hi, 1738-1820 ^cr to wiu and retain the af- 

reigned. 1760 1820 foctious of his subjects. Pitt 

now retired from the government, to be succeeded by 

Lord Bute as prime minister, and Bute was a man after 

King George's own heart. 

Taxation witliout consent. — With the new govern- 
ment in England came plans for raising revenues by 
taxing the American colonies. Their consent was not 
asked ; there was no thought of giving them representa- 
tion in parliament ; but the king and his ministers early 
decided that the Americans must assist in paying off 
the enormous debt of England. Rumors of this de- 
sign reaching Kew York, the people freely expressed 
their indignation. The measure was opposed in parlia- 

* It will be noted that this appointment, sanctioned 
by the crown, constituted one of the charges against 
King George in the Declaration of Independence. 



196 



Eeyolutionary Sektimekts [Period VI 




ment by men who saw in it a sure cause of alienation. 

Another new goyernor, 1761. — While these Eng- 
,,.,.-.. lish plans were being ma- 

tured, a new governor was 
sent out, — Major-General Sir 
Robert Monckton. As, at 
this date, the war with France 
was not terminated, he soon 
went to the West Indies, 
taking with him 1,700 New 
Yorkers as soldiers in the 
army he was to command. 
Sir ROBERT MONCKTON, 1726-1782 and again Dr. Golden became 

acting-governor of the colony. 

Restrictions on commerce. — The first part of the 
plan for taxing the colonies took the form of a more 
rigid enforcement of the old "Navigation Laws*". 
These placed such restrictions on American commerce 
as practically to prohibit it. 

Now came a "swarm of officers" to collect the 
duties at American ports f. These were accused of 
compromising with smugglers, and of annoying legiti- 
mate trade. They were armed with " writs of assist- 
ance " , by means of which they could summon assis- 
tance and enter and search stores, ware-houses, and 
even private dwellings. 

Tlie stamp act^ 1761:. — Of what had gone before, 
the people complained, but it had been endured. In 



* See History of the United States. 
t See Declaration of Independence. 



1765] The Stamp Act Congkess 197 

1764 parliament devised a new means of taxation 
known as the stamp act. This, which became a law 
in March, 1765, provoked resistance in every colony, 
but most of all in New York. Printed copies of the 
law, under the heading " The Folly of England and 
the Ruin of America", were issued and hawked about 
the streets of the city. The newspapers were filled 
with threatening articles. 

Resistance to the enforcement of the act was plainly 
hinted at. The more conservative writers declared 
their loyalty to England, but as plainly denied the 
right of direct taxation. It was understood that this 
tax was intended to reimburse England for the cost 
of the French and Indian war. The people of New 
York felt that they had suffered enough in that cause, 
and declared that they had defended the sovereignty 
of England quite as much as their own rights. 

The stamp act congress^ 1765.— Opposition to 
the stamp act was still further increased by the action 
of the Massachusetts assembly in calling for a colonial 
convention to meet in New York city in October of 
that year, 1765. 

To this convention, known as the " stamp act con- 
gress ", nine colonies sent delegates. It was in ses- 
sion two weeks and prepared and published three able 
state papers: " A declaration of rights ", written by 
John Cruger of New York; " A memorial to parlia- 
ment ", by Robert R. Livingstone of New York; and 
a "petition to the king", by James Otis of Massa- 
chusetts. 

The protests of the people ; stamp act riot.— 

The people of New York were very pronounced in 



198 



Revolutioxary Sentiments [Period VI 



their opposition to the stamp act. Holt's New York 
Gazette, an influential journal, indicated that if the 
colonists were taxed without their consent they would 
be very likely " to seek a change ". 

The stamps arrived in Xew York while the congress 
was in session. The excitement becam^e more intense. 
As an indication of the general feeling hand-bills like 
the following were circulated: 

" PRO P ATRIA" 

" The first man that either distributes or makes use 
of stamped paper, let him take care of his house, 
person, and effects. " AVe dare " 

James McEvors, who had been appointed "stamp 
distributer" for the city, refused to receive the stamps 
and resigned his office. The only thing that could be 
done was to turn them over to Governor Colden, who 
placed them in the fort for safe keeping. 

On the first day of Xovember, 1765, while the 
stamped paper was safely 
locked up in the fort, a 
crowd of citizens assembled 
in "the fields" (city hall 
park) where they erected a 
gallows. On it they hung 
two effigies: one of Gover- 
nor Colden, holding in his 
hand a sheet of the stamped 
paper, and another, repre- 
senting the devil with a boot 
in his hand, intended as a satire on the Earl of Bute, 
Another band carried an effigy of the governor to 




John Stuakt. JCakl of IUtk. 
1718-1792 



1765] Xon-Importation Agreement 199 

the walls of the fort, and, in the presence of the 
troops on the ramparts, demanded the stamps. This 
demand being refnsed, they took the governor's car- 
riage, which had been left outside the fort, placed the 
effigy in it, spiked all the guns on the battery, and 
then joining the other band at the fields, they burned 
together the governor, the carriage, the devil, and 
the boot. 

There was not entire harmony, by any means. 
Some of the delegates to the congress had declared 
that resistance was treason, — and so it was. The Xew 
York delegates had not attached their signatures to 
the addresses, but the assembly approved the proceed- 
ings and again declared that " all necessary aid to the 
crown must be the free gift of the people". The 
merchants, as a rule, were timid, but many resolutely 
opposed the stamp act. From among these a "com- 
mittee of correspondence"* was appointed, whose 
duty it was to correspond with the residents of other 
colonies and agree upon a general policy. 

The futility of any attempt to enforce the use of 
the stamped paper soon became apparent and the pack- 
ages were handed over to Mayor Cruger, who promised 
to be responsible for their " safe preservation ". 

Non-importation agreement, 1 765. — On the day 

before the stamp act was to go into effect (Nov. 1, 1765) 
a great meeting of Xew York merchants was held. So 
strong was the feeling of resentment that they pledged 

* This committee was composed of Isaac Sears, 
John Lamb, Gershom Mott, William Wiley, and 
Thomas Robinson. 



200 Revolutionary Sentiments [Period YI 

themselves not' to import goods from England after the 
first day of January following. This was with the 
certain knowledge that their trade would be ruined. 
The citizens warmly supported the merchants in this 
action. They began, rich and poor alike, to wear 
home-spun and to deny themselves those luxuries that 
could not be produced at home. The effect on British 
commerce was disastrous. Orders for goods for the 
colonies were cancelled, and ships returned from this 
country with the goods they had brought out, for no 
purchasers could be found. 

William Pitt: Sir Henry Moore, governor, 
1765. — William Pitt, the friend of xlmerica, was car- 
ried from his sick-bed to the house of lords that he 
might say there, " I rejoice that America has resisted. 
Three millions of our fellow-subjects so lost to every 
sense of justice as tamely to give up their liberties 
would be fit instruments to make slaves of the rest." 
He declared that the stamp act must be repealed. 

In the early part of Xovember, 1765, Governor 
Moore arrived. He was a man of very agreeable man- 
ners, and proposed, if possible, to win the good will of 
the people he had come to govern. 

Calling the council together, the first question he 
asked was " Can the stamp act be enforced ? " To 
this he received an emphatic "Xo!" He next pro- 
posed that the fort should be thrown open, and in 
spite of Dr. Colden's objections this was done*. 

* The fort was intended as a protection for the 
colonists against the Indians. It had been closed, to 
protect the governor from an offended people. 



1766-1767] The Soi^s of Liberty 201 

The assembly which Dr. Golden had prorogued was 
called together once more, and the people, happy in 
the thought of peace, congratulated the governor, 
while they relaxed not one whit of their opposition to 
the acts of the government that had sent him. 

The sons of liberty, 1766-1767.— Even before the 
Zenger trial there had been an organization known as 
the " sons of liberty ", and in that trial they took an 
important part in the defence of Zenger. Until 1766 
they had been most active in New York. In January 
of that year they pledged themselves, their lives, their 
fortunes, to prevent effectually the enforcement of the 
stamp act, and declared there was no safety for the 
colonies " except in a firm union of the whole ". 

From that day this organization spread to the other 
colonies. Its members constituted, at that time, the 
radical part of the population. They opposed all con- 
cessions to English authority. They first foresaw in- 
dependence, not for a nation, but for the several colo- 
nies, and were the first to propose armed resistance. 
They welcomed every event that widened the gulf be- 
tween the colonies and the mother-country, and they 
proved their faith by being ready for the conflict when 
it came. 

The tories. — At the other extreme were the royal- 
ists, or tories. They would grant everything England 
asked. They defended every measure of taxation. 
They looked upon the sons of liberty and their associ- 
ates as rebels against the authority of the king, and 
saw no future for the colony but as a dependency of 
Great Britain. 

The conservatives . — Between these extremes stood 



202 Reyolutioxary Sentiments [Period YI 

the great mass of the people. They deplored the 
tyranny of the English ministry, but hoped for recon- 
ciliation. They had suffered enough from French and 
Indian troubles. They desired peace above all else, 
and to obtain it were willing to wait and suffer stilL 
To win over this element both the other parties applied 
all their arts; in the end most of the conservatives 
joined the patriots. 

Repeal of the stamp act^ 1766. — Their utter in- 
ability to enforce the pro- 
visions of the stamp act, to- 
gether with the active oppo- 
sition of Pitt, Barre, and 
Burke, finally induced the 
British ministry to consent 
to its repeal (March 13, 1766). 
When the news reached 
Xew York (May 20) it was 
welcomed by the people as a 
ebmvxd BtHKE. 1729-1797 g|g^ ^f couccssiou from the 

king. Arrangements were at once made to celebrate 
his twenty-fifth birth-day, which would occur on the 
4th of June. Their manner of doing this was charac- 
teristic of the times, but would hardly be allowed in 
the same place (city hall park) to-day. They roasted 
an ox and provided twenty-five barrels of beer, a hogs- 
head of rum, and sugar and all necessary ingredients 
for making punch. On a pole they suspended twenty- 
five tar-barrels, and near by placed twenty-five cannon. 
The governor attended, the flag of England was un- 
furled, the band played "God save the king", and 
every one indulged in most extravagant revelry. 

They went beyond this; the people petitioned the 




1766] Summary 203 

assembly to erect a statue to Pitt. The request was 
granted, and on account of his "benignity", one to 
king George was voted also. Pitt's statue was to be 
in brass and the king's in bronze; but Pitt's was finally 
made of marble, and the king's of lead. 

SUMMARY 

1. Death of Governor DeLancey, 1760. 

2. Dr. Golden, governor; his character. 

3. Dr. Golden and the judiciary. 

4. Ghanges in England; character of George Ill- 
Taxation without consent ; excuse for. 

5. Restrictions on American commerce. 

6. Direct taxation. 

7. Effect of these measures in Xew York. 

8. The stamp act congress of 1765; action of; 
New York's share in. 

9. The stamp act riots in New York ; Holt's New 
York Gazette; " Pro Patria ". 

10. The great meeting in " the fields." 

11. The committee of correspondence. 

12. The "non-importation agreement" in New 
York. 

13. William Pitt in parliament. 

14. Arrival of Governor Moore; his acts. 

15. The assembly recalled. 

16. The " Sons of Liberty " and their action. 

17. The tories and their ideas. 

18. The conservatives; the three parties. 

19. Repeal of the stamp act; Pitt, Barre, and 
Burke ; the news in New York ; the celebration. 

20. The two statues. 



CHAPTER XXIII 
The First Conflict of tbe Revolution 

The mutiny act. — When their rejoicings were over, 
it was discovered that the king and parliament were 
not so generous as had been supposed. With the re- 
peal of the stamp act came the passage of the " mutiny 
act"*, by which the colonists were to furnish free 
quarters to the king's troops. 

The burden would fall most heavily on Xew York, it 
being the headquarters of the royal troops f. The 
assembly voted only a limited supply bill, declaring 
that troops were unnecessary. This action produced 
irritation which soon found expression among the 
soldiery. 

The liberty pole. — When the king's birthday was 
celebrated, there had been erected what came to be 
known as " the liberty pole ". It bore the equivocal 
inscription, " The King, Pitt, and Liberty." This the 
soldiers out down (Aug., 1760), and the next day a 
large crowd assembled to replace it. The soldiers 
jeered at them and prodded citizens with their bayo- 
nets, and severely wounded two of them. In Septem- 
ber the pole was again cut down and again replaced. 
This time it was securely fastened with iron bands. 

* See Declaration of Independence. 
t A standing army of twenty battalions was kept in 
America. 

(204) 



1767] Kew York Di3fra]!^chised 205 

New York disfranchised. — When news of the action 
of the New York assembly on the " supply bill " reached 
England, the indignation of the king and parliament 
knew no bounds. They spent whole days in devising 
some plan to bring the refractory colony to terms. 
Little else was talked of but the free language of the 
New York press, the defiant conduct of the sons of 
liberty, and the petition of the New York merchants. 
This petition was a temperate paper, stating the diffi- 
culties in which they were placed, and asking for more 
generous treatment in the matter of duties. 

In May, 1767, the measure was perfected which, it 
was thought, would bring New York to terms. Its 
assembly having defied the king it should be dissolved 
and the colony disfranchised. It was declared that the 
other colonies had been "refractory", but New York 
had added "impudence". By the provisions of the 
new measure of parliament of June, 1767, the assem- 
bly of New York was forbidden to exercise any further 
legislative functions until it conformed to the require- 
ments of the king by making provision for British 
troops. 

At the same time a new system of taxation was de- 
vised. Duties were placed upon paper, glass, tea, and 
painters' colors, and commissioners of customs were 
established. "Writs of assistance" were authorized, 
and indemnity for losses sustained during stamp act 
riots was required. The reply of the assembly was to 
vote such a supply bill as they thought sufficient, and 
then to continue their sessions as though nothing had 
happened* until permanently dissolved by Governor 

* See Mrs. Lamb's "History of the Citv of New 

York", i. 738. 



206 First Conflict of the E evolution [Period VI 

Moore (Februar}^ 2, 1768), and a new election was 
ordered. 

The new assembly elected in the same month was as 
difficult to manage as the one that had been dissolved. 
Governor Moore was conciliatory. His amiable tem- 
perament made him anxious to please his people, while 
his traditional sympathies were all with King George. 
In the midst of his efforts to harmonize two such an- 
tagonistic elements he suddenly died (September, 
1769), and again the government passed into the hands 
of Dr. Golden. 

The treaty of Fort Stanwix^ 1768. — So early as 
1764 the Six Nations began to make complaints about 
the fraudulent seizure of their lands, under pretended 
patents. Among the lands in dispute were 700,000 
acres between the Hudson and the Mohawk. This 
complaint became so pronounced that in 1768 Sir Wil- 
liam Johnson was authorized to confer with the Indians 
in regard to its settlement. 

As lands lying in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and 
Virginia were also in dispute Sir William concluded to 
call a congress at Fort Stanwix. This met September, 
1768. More than 3,000 Indians were present. The 
agreement finally gave to the Indians £2,000 in money 
and goods, on condition of their releasing to the crown 
the lands in dispute. This purchase included those 
tracts recovered by Governor Bellomont. 

Groldeii Hill^ 1770. — The old animosity which the 
soldiers felt for the people cropped out again in an 
attack upon the liberty pole, and this finally culminated 
in what is known as "The Golden Hill Conflict", 



1770] Golden Hill Conflict 207 

One pole had been cut down by the soldiers in the 
night time, and when the sons of liberty had replaced 
it with a better one they determined to guard it. 

The attempts of the soldiers to cut this one resulted 
in several conflicts. At length it was cut down, sawn 
in pieces, and piled in front of the building in which 
the sons held their meetings. 

This resulted in a general meeting of all the sons of 
liberty, in which it was resolved that any soldier found 
on the streets after roll-call "should be treated as a 
common enemy", and a committee was appointed to 
enforce the resolution. 

On the evening of January 18, Isaac Sears with a 
few other sons of liberty caught some soldiers posting 
bills ridiculing the resolutions; whereupon they seized 
the offenders and were marching them oS to the 
mayor's office, when they were met by a larger band of 
soldiers who attempted a rescue. More sons gathered, 
followed by more soldiers, and the fight became gen- 
eral. The battle was chiefly with clubs and cart stakes 
though a few used cutlases. Gradually the soldiers 
were driven toward what was known as Golden Hill^. 
Here the fight raged for some time; many were 
wounded and several killed before the officers came and 
took the troops back to the fortf- 

* A district embraced between the present streets of 
Cliff, William, John, and Eulton. 

t It was at this time that Governor Colden wrote to 
the British ministry : " Whatever happens in this place 
has the greatest influence on the other colonies. They 
have their eyes perpetually on it and are governed 
accordingly." 



208 Summary [Period VI 

This and not Lexington was the first conflict of the 
revolution. During these troubles messages of sym- 
pathy and encouragement were constantly passing back 
and forth between New York and Boston. 

SUMMARY 

1. The " mutiny act " in Xew York. 

2. The first liberty pole. 

3. Xew York disfranchised, 1767; reasons for; 
action of parliament. 

4. The new system of taxation; writs of assistance. 

5. Action of the assembly, and its dissolution, 1768. 

6. The new assembly; action of. 

7. The treaty of Fort Stanwix, 1768. 

8. The Golden Hill contest, 1770; story of. 



CHAPTER XXIV 
The Tax on Tea 




Earl of Dunmore.1732 



(irovernor Diiiimore. — The years 1771 and 1772 
were comparatively peaceful 
in Xew York. The new gov- 
ernor, the earl of Dunmore, 
had arrived in October, 1770, 
and had been received with 
every show of loyalty by the 
colonists. He declined the 
salary which the assembly 
voted him on the ground that 
the governor was thereafter 
to be paid by the crown. 
This was a part of the plan of disfranchisement. It 
was expected that the crown would more than re- 
imburse itself from the duties levied on the ports under 
the tax-bill about to go into effect. 

Dunmore was not fond of the duties of his office, 
preferring the pleasures of the chase, for which there 
were abundant opportunities in the territory he had 
come to govern. The only matter in which he distin- 
guished himself was in a suit against Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor Golden for his salary as governor during the half- 
year that Golden had served and Dunmore had been 
preparing to come to Xew York. The earl soon 
wearied of the office and was transferred to Virginia. 

(209) 



210 The Tax ox Tea [Period VI 

Groveriior Tryoii. — He was succeeded by Sir William 
Try on, July, 1771, who had tried to govern Xorth 
Carolina but had failed. As Tryon was the last Eng- 
lishman ever sent over to govern Xew York, it is well 
to know more of the man. In Carolina he had made 
himself odious by his petty tyranny. On his arrival 
in Xew York he at once made the acquaintance of the 
landed aristocracy, and sedulously courted their favor. 
At the same time he listened with apparent interest to 
the complaints of the merchants and assured them 
that their rights should be protected. While Tryon 
flattered all, he was at the same time cautious. He 
took up his abode inside the fort, in the house pro- 
vided for him *. 

Meeting of the assembly^ 1772. — Governor Tryon 
prorogued the assembly until 1772, when at its first 
meeting he manifested a most ardent desire "toco- 
operate in every measure that will promote the honor 
and dignity of his majesty's government and advance 
the felicity of a people distinguished by their loyalty 
to the best of sovereigns". To this complimentary 

^ One event during Governor Tryon's term shows 
the deep undercurrent of charity which was not dis- 
turbed by the mad tide of political events that on the 
surface was sweeping evervthing before it. This was 
the founding in 1773 of the " Xew York hospital" 
by Xew York citizens. It was erected at a point on 
Broadway at the head of Pearl street, then far out of 
town. The main building was finished in time to serve 
as barracks for British soldiers during the revolution, 
and it sheltered many a Union soldier during the civil 
war. In 1873 it was demolished and its site covered 
with blocks of stores. 



1772] Restrictions on Trade 211 

address the assembly replied with expressions of their 
great confidence in the wisdom and kindness of their 
new gOYernor. 

Tryon county. — The governor now visited the 
Mohawk country (1772), and reviewed the militia which 
Sir William Johnson had organized and which was so 
soon to be turned against the colony. He endeavored 
to perpetuate his name in the new county formed from 
Albany, Tryon county (see map, page 225) ; and he 
returned to New York well pleased with the people he 
had been sent to govern. Indeed, it now seems that it 
would have been an easy matter for England at that 
period to conciliate her colonies. 

Restrictions on trade. — A change in the ministry 
of England (1770) had procured the repeal of all duties 
except that on tea. The city of New York was suffer- 
ing from the effects of the "non-importation agree- 
ment", and there was a strong feeling in favor of the 
removal of all restrictions on trade. 

Rhode Island had already removed them, and the 
other colonies were keeping the agreement in a half- 
hearted manner, while New York had remained entirely 
faithful tc it. During five years her trade had been 
prostrated and her ruined merchants began to feel that 
they had suffered enough. 

Tlie tax on tea. — The "committee of one hun- 
dred " favored the removal of all restrictions on impor- 
tations with the single exception of tea. The East 
India company, which had a monopoly of the tea- 
trade, being on the verge of bankruptcy was willing to 
pay England twice the amount of the tax if trade with 
the colonies could be resumed. 



212 The Tax on Tea [Period YI 

King George and his ministry could not yield to 
their refractory colonies, so another plan was devised 
to save the pride of England and pacify the colonies. 
The tax should not be removed, but the duty which 
the East India company paid should be remitted; then 
the colonies could pay the tax and still get their tea 
cheaper than before. 

But the Americans were not haggling over the price 
of tea; they were standing for the principle of "no 
taxation without representation". Tea was shipped 
to the four principal ports at the same time, — to New 
York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Charleston. When 
news of this plan reached the colonies, the whole 
country was in arms. 

The newspapers were filled with communications 
warning the people not to touch the tea; merchants 
who had favored submission were afraid to receive it, 
and the agents for its sale withdrew. Thereupon it 
was announced that on its arrival the government 
would take charge of the tea. 

The imported tea. — The ship for Boston reached 
its destination first. The whole cargo was thrown 
overboard to mix with the brine of the bay. On the 
very day that this was being done in Boston, New 
York was flooded with hand-bills sent out by the sons 
of liberty calling for a meeting of " all the friends of 
liberty" at one o'clock the next day, at the city hall. 
A large crowd assembled. It was addressed by John 
Lamb and Robert R. Livingstone. The latter stated 
that he had a message from the governor, who declared 
that the tea should be put into the fort at noon-day, 
remain there until "the king's orders in regard to it 



1774] The Imported Tea 213 

were known", and should not be taken out except at 
noon-day. 

When asked if this was satisfactor}^ the people an- 
swered with a shout " N"o! no! no! " Mr Lamb then 
asked if the tea should be landed under any circum- 
stances; to which there was an immediate and unani- 
mous cry of " Xo ! no! no ! " 

A series of resolutions was then adopted which 
declared that " whoever should aid or abet the intro- 
duction of tea while it was subject to duty or should 
handle, cart or store the same or buy or sell it " should 
be considered "an enemy to the liberties of Amer- 
ica"; that whether those duties were paid in England 
or America their liberties would be equally affected; 
and lastly, that " whosoever shall transgress any of these 
resulutions, we will not deal with nor employ nor have 
any connection with him*." 

The tea-ship was daily expected, but the winter 
months went by and it did not come. In April, 1774, 
Governor Tryon and family sailed for England, and 
for the fifth and last time the government came into 
the hands of Dr. Golden. 

The Mohawks and the tea. — Hardly had Tryon's 
ship disappeared through the narrows, when the tea- 
ship Nancy appeared. The pilot refused to bring her 
into port. Taking their cue from Boston, an organiza- 
tion from among the sons of liberty was formed calling 
themselves " Mohawks ". They agreed to look after 
the tea, and they kept their word. The captain was 
allowed to go ashore to consult with his consignee and 

* This is the first " boycott " recorded in our State. 



214 The Tax on Tea [Period VI 

to purchase supplies. Xo one else was permitted to 
land from his ship. Circulars were posted asking the 
people to come together at a given hour " to meet the 
captain of the tea-ship ". Thousands came. The cap- 
tain, Lockyear, came out upon the veranda of his 
hotel, and was introduced to the populace. They 
cheered him, the bands played, and while the bells 
tolled and flags were flying the crowd escorted Captain 
Lockyear to his ship, and saw him off*. Another 
ship. The London, came with a small quantity of tea 
on board, which was summarily thrown into the sea. 
So ended this attempt at taxation. 

SUMMARY 

1. Dunmore and Tryon, the last English governors; 
character of each. 

2. Founding of Xew York City Hospital, 1773. 

3. Tryon and the assembly. 

4. Tryon's visit to the Mohawks; Tryon county. 

5. Difficulty caused by " non-importation agree- 
ment ". 

6. The merchants' committee of one hundred and 
the tax. 

7. A new plan for getting the tax money. 

8. Opinions of the people. 

9. Meeting in city hall on tax; resolutions passed. 

10. Departure of Tryon and arrival of the tea-ship ; 
action of the sons of liberty. 

* The president of Kings college. Dr. Myles Cooper, 
was a staunch loyalist, and refused to allow the college 
flag to be displayed. See page 222. 



CHAPTER XXV 

Continental Congresses 

The great meeting in ^^the fields '% 1774.— On 
May 16, 1774, a meeting of citizens was called to 
decide on some plan of concerted action. This meet- 
ing appointed the " committee of fifty-one " to cor- 
respond with the other colonies in an effort to secure 
united action among them. 

The " committee of fifty-one " appointed a sub- 
committee of four: Alexan- 
der McDougal, Isaac Low, 
James Duane, John Jay. 
This committee recommend- 
ed a general congress of de- 
puties from all the colonies, 
and wrote to Boston asking 
the patriots there to name 
the time and place of meet- 
ing. This action was too 

James Dx'ane. 1733-1797 , <? n «• ti i. 

slow tor the sons of liberty, 
and they issued a call for a general meeting in " the 
fields " on July 6. 

This gathering was a momentous one in the history 
of the country; an immense concourse responded to 
the call. They were addressed by a stripling whom 
few knew, but of whom the whole country was, later, 

(215) 




21G The Meeting ix the Fields [Period VI 

to hear much. This was Alexander Hamilton, then 
but seventeen, and a student in King's college. 

His speech, an earnest of his future career, fired the 
hearts of the people. They passed resolutions con- 
demning *'the Boston port bill", and took measures 
to raise funds for the benefit of the sufferers from 
that act. 

They approved the action of the "committee of 
fifty-one", but insisted that the non-intercourse 
agreement should be enforced until all duties were 
removed. 

Delegates to the continental congress, 1775. — 

The plan for a general con- 
gress having been agreed up- 
on, the " committee of fifty- 
one " made its nomina- 
tions : Philip Livingston, 
John Alsop, Isaac Low, 
James Duane, and John Jay. 
\ Again appeared the three 

parties, and the election of 
this delegation was a test of 
PHILIP LIVINGSTON. 1716-1778 ^j^gij. strength. The dele- 
gates nominated represented the sober, conservative 
element of New York. The leader of this party was 
John Jay, a Huguenot, destined thereafter to be dis- 
tinguished as the first chief justice of our State and 
of the United States. The leader of the radical 
wing was Alexander McDougall, a Scotchman. 

These two parties sought the same end but by differ- 
ent means. The radicals approved of a delegation to 
congress, but tried to substitute men of their own 



1774] First Continental Congkess 217 

party in its membership, while the efforts of the tories 
were turned in the direction of an attempt to aefeat 
the election. 

The delegates were, however, elected by a majority 
and were soon on their way to Philadelphia, where 
the congress was to meet. When they took their de- 
parture they were escorted to the water's edge by a 
large delegation of citizens who bade them " God- 
speed ". It was, in those days, a long journey, and 
the affairs in which they were to take part were most 
serious. New York has never had occasion to regret 
the selection made, nor to apologize for the part those 
delegates took in the first continental congress. 

The first continental congress^ 1774. — In this 
congress which met at Philadelphia September 5, 1774, 
were laid the foundations of American independence. 

Five historic papers were put forth by this body: 1. 
An address to the people of the colonies; 2. An ad- 
dress to the Canadians ; 3. An address to the people 
of Great Britain; 4. An address to the King; 5. A 
declaration of rights. 

The declaration of rights. — The last was the 
composition of John Jay. It contained a terse state- 
ment of the rights claimed by the colonists, which 
were: 1. The right to life, liberty, and property; 2. 
The right to tax themselves; 3. The right to assemble 
peaceably to petition for the redress of grievances; 4. 
The right to enjoy all the privileges of Englishmen; 
5. All the rights granted by the colonial charters. 

At the first meeting of the New York assembly after 
this continental congress, the venerable Governor 



218 The Proyikcial Conveis^tion^ [Period VI 

Colden, in liis message, was very conservative. He 
spoke of the "alarming crisis", and urged the assem- 
bly to countenance all measures calculated to increase 
the public distress. 

End of the assembly. — There was an attempt by 
the patriotic side of the assembly to obtain an indorse- 
ment of the action of the continental congress, but it 
failed by a vote of eleven to twelve, — so small was the 
recognition then given to the services of men whose 
names have since been held in highest honor. 

The assembly, being thus constituted, naturally re- 
fused to choose delegates to the second continental 
congress; and fortunately, for their refusal opened up 
another and a better way. If this assembly was too 
conservative for the people, it was yet too radical for 
the governor. It met on April 3, 1775, and adjourned 
to May 3. Two days before the assembly was to meet 
it was prorogued by the governor and it never met 
again ^. 

The committee of sixty. — It now became neces- 
sary to choose delegates to the Philadelphia congress, 
and the people set about it in their own way. The old 
committees of "one hundred" and of "fifty-one" 

^ Of the 11 to 12 vote Garrier said to Rochford, 
"That one vote was worth a million sterling." In 
reply it was said, "It is worth nothing; for New 
York will act with the other colonies, — she only differs 
in her modes." Of this assembly. Dr. Colden wrote 
to Dartmouth: " The assembly is to meet next Tues- 
day. If I find there will not be a majority for prudent 
measures, I shall incline to prorogue them for a short 
time." 



1775] The Battle of Lexingtoi^ 219 

had accomplished the tasks assigned them and were 
dissolved. With their governor absent from the colony, 
their assembly prorogued, the patriotic element of 
New York, now thoroughly united, chose a " commit- 
tee of sixty " to carry into execution the suggestions 
of the continental congress. 

A ^^ provincial convention". — The first step of 
this committee was to issue a call to the counties, ask- 
ing them to send delegates to a "provincial conven- 
tion" which should choose Xew York's delegates to 
the second continental congress. 

The counties complied, and their delegates met at 
the exchange in ^ew York on April 20, 1775. The 
first delegation to congress was continued; and to it 
were added the names of George Clinton, Francis 
Lewis, Lewis Morris, Eobert R. Livingston and Philip 
Schuyler. Xew York's delegation now consisted of 
ten members, — men who for ability, character, experi- 
ence and patriotic devotion to the cause of liberty had 
no superiors. Having completed the business for 
which it was convened, this convention adjourned sine 
die, April 22, 1775. 

News of Lexington.— The next day, vSunday, 
April 23, as the people were quietly wending their way 
to church, a horseman came dashing through the city 
streets telling, as he rode, the startling news of the 
fight at Lexington. 

If there had ever been any hope of a peaceful settle- 
ment of their difficulties, it was now dissipated. Only 
one other such day has ever been known in Xew York, 
and that was the Sunday when all over the north was 



220 Xew York Provincial Congress [Period VI 

flashed the news that Fort Sumter had been fired 
upon. The churches were deserted, houses were 
empty, and here and there as the news spread, people 
gathered in groups upon the streets and discussed the 
event. There was a feeling that Xew York must not 
be left behind Massachusetts. 

Seizure of British property. — In the bay were 
two vessels loaded with provisions for the British 
troops in Boston. The arms and ammunition in the 
city hall were seized, and a force headed by those two 
impetuous leaders, Isaac Sears and John Lamb, soon 
had possession of the cargo of provisions valued at 
£80,000. On Monday, volunteer companies formed 
and paraded; the custom house was seized; Xew 
York was in rebellion. 

As the news spread, men left their farms, shops 
were closed, schools were deserted, and men and boys 
flocked in to join the ranks of the companies forming. 

The ability of this people to govern themselves was 
now thoroughly tested. There was no confusion. The 
" committee of sixty " did not enlarge its own powers, 
but instead, issued a call for the election by the free- 
holders of a new "committee of one hundred", as 
they quaintly said, " for the present unhappy exigency 
of affairs ". The same call also asked the freeholders 
to elect delegates to a " provincial congress " to meet 
in Xew York. 

The New York provincial congress, 1775. — 

This new committee met and solemnly resolved "to 
stand or fail with the liberties of the colonies". The 



1775] New York Committed to Revolution 321 

*' provincial congress of Xew York", which was to 
take the place of the now defunct assembly, was chosen 
and held its first meeting. May 22. 

So was the government of the colony provided for 
until, under the advice of congress, it should frame a 
constitution and erect a new and permanent form of 
government. 

The "committee of one hundred" took charge of 
municipal affairs. It sent addresses to the lord-mayor 
and corporation of London and to Lieutenant-Gover- 
nor Golden, in which it said: " This city is as one man 
in the cause of liberty. i\.ll the horrors of civil war 
will never compel America to submit to taxation by 
authority of parliament." 

It also designated April 19, 1775, as the day on 
which the rule of England ceased and the new govern- 
ment began. 

The situation. — New York was. now thoroughly 
committed to revolution. A governing body had been 
established, the "provincial congress", entirely inde- 
pendent of and owing no allegiance to the government 
of England. This had been done by the open, free 
vote of the people of the colony. By that act they 
had cut the last tie that bound them to the mother- 
country. 

While this movement had been precipitated by the 
radical element, it had been guided by the foremost 
minds in the colony. The century that has passed 
since that day only brings into stronger relief the sub- 
lime devotion of those men to the cause of human 
liberty. 




222 Patriots axd Tories [Period YI 

Patriots and tories. — There were now but two 
parties in Xew York; these 
came to be known as " patri- 
ots " and "tories". Presi- 
dent Cooper of Kings col- 
lege, a thorough royalist, 
had written much on the sub- 
ject of " colonial relation to 
England". With him re- 
mained the college faculty, 
but his pupils soon found 
MvLEs cooPKH. 173^ their way into the patriot 

ranks. Friends of the established church, by natural 
sympathy, were tories. So were many of the large land- 
holders and recent immigrants from England. But 
they were in a hopeless minority. To the patriots 
gathered all the old Dutch residents, the Huguenots, 
Scotch, Irish, Welsh, and the English from the New 
England colonies. The merchants were divided, but 
mechanics and laborers, generally, were unanimous for 
the cause of liberty. 

SUMMARY 

1. Great meeting in the fields; committee of " fifty- 
one"; duty of; July 6, 1774. 

2. Hamilto'n's address; action at meeting. 

3. Delegates to first continental congress; contest 
of three parties over their election. 

4. Departure of delegates. 

5. First continental congress; action of. 

6. Governor Golden on the "crisis". 

7. Action of Xew York assemblv. 



1775] Summary 223 

8. English comment on it. 

9. Assembly prorogued. 

10. New York's first provincial convention, April 
20, 1775. 

11. Delegation to second continental congress. 

12. The news from Lexington; action of New York 
patriots. 

13. Appointment of the committee of sixty, and 
its action. 

14. The new committee of one hundred, 1775. 

15. The first provincial congress of New York. 

16. Important date, April 19, 1775. 

17. Situation in New York; patriots and tories. 



PERIOD VII 

NEW YORK IN THE REVOLUTION 

177^-1783 



CHAPTER XXVI 
Beginning of the Struggle 

Hostilities begun^ 1775. — Having now undertaken 
to maintain their rights by force of arms, the colonies 
no longer hesitated. Xew York's delegates joined 
those of Massachusetts, and on May 8 proceeded on 
their journey to Philadelphia. 

The iirst American victory. — Scarcely had they 
departed, when a party of volunteers under Ethan 
Allen were on their way to the old, historic fortress, 
Ticonderoga. There was much in its history to inspire 
the thought of its capture, and besides guarding the 
route to Quebec it contained more than one hundred 
cannon and large quantities of military stores. When, 
on the early morning of May 10, the towering form 
of Ethan Allen, saber in hand, startled its sleeping 
commander, there had been no warning, and there 
was, therefore, neither opportunity for defence nor 
time for parley. The surrender of Crown Point fol- 
lowed, and Benedict Arnold, making a dash for Lake 
Champlain, took the only British ship on the lake. So 
it happened that the first forts taken from the British 
were on X^ew York soil, and there the first British 
garrison laid down their arms. 

(224) 



1775] Washington Commander-in-chief 227 

In Xew York city, a regiment of English troops 
about to embark for Boston was stopped by a band of 
unarmed sons of liberty with Colonel Marinus Willett 
at their head. Their first intention was to make the 
whole regiment prisoners of war. They were finally 
allowed to depart, after giving up several cart-loads 
of extra guns which they were taking with them. 

These events gave a new direction to American 
affairs. The strife which had been entered upon for 
rights became a war for independence, and the conti- 
nental congress, which had been intended as an advi- 
sory council, became a governing body. 

Washington commander-in-chief.— On June 15, 
congress elected Washington commander-in-chief; the 
next day he accepted the office and on the 22d was on 
his way to Boston. He must pass through New York. 
The patriots there wished to give the new commander- 
in-chief an appropriate welcome, but they did not, as 
yet, wish to offend Governor Try on*. 

Each honored guest was to be met and escorted into 
town by a force of militia. The question arose, 
"What if both should arrive at the same hour?" 
The militia-colonel was equal to the occasion. Wash- 
ington would come by land and cross the Hudson; 
Tryon would land at the Battery. The colonel placed 
his troops half-way between the two landing places, 
prepared to face either way. Fortunately Washington 
was the first to arrive, and the colonel was saved the 
embarrassment of attempting to bow in two directions 
at the same time. 

*Who had already entered the bay, on his return 
from England. 



228 Begixnin^g of the Struggle [Period VII 

"Washington was received by the provincial congress 
with very stiff formality, but later Tryon was wel- 
comed with great demonstrations by the tories. 

The Johnsons. — In the interior of ^^ew Yorkj 
affairs were assuming a critical condition. Sir William 
Johnson had died, but he was succeeded in his influ- 
ence over the Indians by his son-in-law, Colonel Guy 
Johnson, while his large estate near the present village 
of Amsterdam had been inherited by his son. Sir John. 
These two espoused the cause of England and kept 
toryigm alive in the Mohawk Valley. 

Colonel Guy Johnson held a council of the six nations 
at Oswego, where he formed an alliance of all the Iro- 
quois with the English. 

The patriots under the advice of General Schuyler 
put forth every effort to have the Indians remain 
neutral in the impending conflict. Had England 
done the same, she would have escaped much harsh 
crticism, at home and abroad, and the war would have 
lacked many of its barbarities*. In this effort, the 
Americans failed (doubtless through their inability to 
furnish the necessary "presents"), and the influence 
of the Johnsons, thenceforth, became supreme among 
all the Iroquois. 

Expedition against Canada^ 1775. — During the 
summer months, interest had centered mainly in the 
stirring events taking place around Boston, but with 
the approach of winter the feeling became general that 
something must be done to protect the frontiers of 
Xew York. 

*See Declaration of Independence. 



1775] Capture of Montreal 229 

For this purpose an expedition against Montreal was 
determined upon, contrary to the advice even of the 
continental congress. General Philip Schuyler was 
placed in command, but he fell ill and the expedition 
was led by Greneral Richard Montgomery. 

Capture of Montreal. — Montgomery, though still 
a young man, had seen much service in the royal army. 
He had been with Wolfe at Quebec, and was a bold, 
efficient leader. Descending Lake Champlain with his 
800 militia he took Fort Chambly and the small post 
at St. Johns, and hardly pausing to rest, pushed on to 
Montreal, which was also soon taken. 

While this little band of heroes was shivering before 
Montreal, another and equally brave company was 
forcing its way through the dense forests of '^ew 
Hampshire to Quebec. This was a small detachment 
from Washington's army under Benedict Arnold. 
Starving, freezing, having lost nearly one-half their 
number, they suddenly appeared near Quebec, so 
emaciated that they seemed to the Canadians an army 
of spectres. 

Death of (general Montgomery. — The two com- 
manders soon joined forces 
and determined upon the im- 
mediate capture of Quebec. 
While they made their prepa- 
rations, Christmas passed, 
and on the last day but one 
of 1775, the assault was or- 
dered. With Montgomery 
were Captain John Lamb of 
Xew York and a young lad, 

Richard Montgomery, 1736-1T75 . ^^ t ■ i i 

— Aaron Burr. In the charge 




230 Embassy tk) Canada [Period VII 

upon the works, Arnold and Lamb were severely 
wounded, — the latter being taken prisoner, — and Mont- 
gomery fell mortally wounded at the head of the col- 
umn, shouting, " Men of Xew York, you will not fear 
to follow where your commander leads! Forward! 
Quebec is ours! " 

Quebec was not taken, but the moral effect of the 
campaign was very great. The remnant of that brave 
band struggled back through the deep Canadian snows 
to Ticonderoga, but it had convinced the world that 
the Americans were in earnest, and would fight. 

This campaign had not been made against Canada 
but against the English soldiery there. From the first 
it had been hoped that the Canadians would make 
common cause with the colonies. 

The embassy to Canada^ 1776.~Very early in the 
spring of 1776, congress sent a delegation, with Dr. 
Franklin at its head, fully empowered to treat with the 
Canadians. 

Franklin was then seventy-two years of age, yet, at 
the call of his country, he willingly undertook this 
tedious journey of more than 500 miles. The mission 
was not successful. Through the influence of the 
British soldiery, Canada, as well as the Iroquois con- 
federacy, was lost to the Americans. 

Situation in New York city. — The winter had 
been a gloomy one for Xew York. Completely shut 
in by sea, where English men-of-war controlled every 
thing, the city had communication only by land. 
Suspicion and fear possessed the minds of all. The 
governor, apprehensive for his own safety, had taken 



1776] 



Attack upon the Press 



231 



up his quarters on board the ^^ Duchess of Gordon''^ 
in the bay, from which he had free communication 
with the city. From that safe retreat he fostered the 
spirit of toryism on shore. Within the city, the differ- 
ences which had separated patriots and tories widened 
into intense bitterness. The taunts of the tories, the 
threats of invasion, the work of Tryon's emmissaries, 
all maddened the people, and personal encounters be- 
came common. 

Business in the city was at a standstill ; work could 
not be obtained at any price, and those who would 
employ had no means with which to pay. All who 
could go, fled to the country. Some, discouraged, 
forsook the patriot cause, but the great mass of the 
people remained true and urged their leaders to more 
active operations. 

Sears and Rivington. — The one royalist printer 
in the city was James Riv- 
ington. In his paper, the 
Eoyal Gazette, he had de- 
nounced the Americans and 
had been particularly severe 
on Isaac Sears, who had now 
removed to Xew Haven. 
Late in November, Sears 
rode into town at the 
head of seventy-five Con- 
necticut horsemen, placed a 
guard about Rivington 's printing-house, forced open 
the doors, smashed the presses, and, loading the type 
into sacks, carried it away to be melted into bullets. 
The cool-headed men of the city deplored the act, 




James Rivington. 1724-1802 



232 



The Johnson Family [Period V^II 



while the committee of safety condemned it as a viola- 
tion of the right of free speech. 

Johnson and his tories, 1776.— In the month of 
January General Schuyler 
undertook a most dangerous 
task. The Johnsons con- 
tinued to add fuel to the 
flames that they had kindled 
in the central part of Xew 
York. It was reported that 
Sir John Johnson had 
gathered about him his 
Scotch highlander tenants 
and Indian allies and intend- 
ed to devastate the Mohawk Valley. The Xew York 
congress, by the advice of the continental congress, 
ordered General Schuyler to take measures for disarm- 
ing these hostile forces. 

At the head of a body of troops, Schuyler marched 




Sir John Johnson. 1742-1830 



^'l^\ 


1. 





Residence op Sir ^VILt.IAM Johnson 

from Albany to the Johnson estate on the Mohawk 



1776] Summary 233 

river, and demanded, as the only terms of peace, the 
immediate surrender of all the arms and supplies in 
the hands of the tories and Indians under his leader- 
ship. He also demanded Johnson's individual parole 
of honor that he would not in any way do injury to 
the patriot cause. On January 19, 1776, the stores 
were delivered at Johnstown, and a force of Scotch 
highlanders laid down their arms. 

SUMMARY 

1. First offensive operations, 1775; Ticonderoga, 
Crown Point ; Xew York city. 

2. The continental congress. 

3. Washington and Tryon in Xew York. 

4. The Johnsons. 

5. The Iroquois. 

6. Expedition against Canada; Montgomery and 
Arnold ; Aaron Burr and Captain Lamb. 

7. The embassy to Canada. 

8. Xew York city and Tyron. 

9. Sears and Rivington. 

10. Johnson; his tories and General Schuyler. 



CHAPTER XXVII 




Charles Lee. 1781-178-2 



The War transferred to New York, 1776 

New York called disloyal. — Two misfortunes hap- 
pened to Xew York in Janu- 
ary. Sears, who had much 
more valor than discretion, 
finding himself not appreci- 
ated in New York made his 
way to Washington's camp 
at Cambridge. There h e 
made the acquaintance of 
General Charles Lee. Sears 
convinced Lee, and Lee con- 
vinced Washington, that 
New York was rapidly drifting into toryism. In this 
statement there was not one word of truth, yet Lee to 
his great delight was commissioned to proceed to New 
York and put matters to rights in that city. The first 
intimation New York had of his appoint Qient was his 
appearance, borne upon a litter (for he had the gout), 
at the head of 1,500 Connecticut troops, with Sears as 
his adjutant. It was an insult to the patriotism of 
the city. 

A British squadron in the bay. — On the same day 
Sir Henry Clinton appeared in the harbor with|a British 
squadron. It is doubtful which party created^most ap- 
prehension in the city. Lee undertook to assume com- 

(234) 



1776] New York a Loyal City 235 

mand at once. He was a man of small ability, and 
soon found that the i)roblem which faced him was 
much more difficult than he had supposed. The 
people were entirely satisfied, when, in March follow- 
ing, he was assigned to another command in the south. 
General Lee was succeeded temporarily by General 
William Alexander, known 
as Lord Stirling ^'^, a more 
modest man, possessed of 
good sense and able to under- 
stand the situation in New 
Y^ork. He very soon d i s - 
covered that everything pos- 
sible was being done, with 
the city surrounded as it was 
by deep water w^ays, all fully 

William Alexandeu ./ r J ' J 

Lord sxiBLiNii commanded by British ships. 

Stores of powder and shot were being secretly accumu- 
lated, arms collected, and cannon cast. Even ships 
were being privately armed under the very muzzles of 
the British guns. 

Stirling wrote* to General Washington: "I am sur- 
prised at the courage and ingenuity of these people." 
They were soon to be tested. 

On the loth of March, Washington wrote to Stirling 
that, in his opinion, Howe was about to evacuate Bos- 
ton, and that he would probably proceed to New York. 

Preparation for defence. — Sir Henry Clinton 
with his fleet did not remain in New York many days. 

^ Stirling was an English lord and an American 
patriot. 




236 Arrival of Washington [Period Vll 

This made it less difficult to prepare for defence. The 
entire available force of the city was already under 
arms. The committee of safety was active. Requisi- 
tions were sent out for the militia from the various 
counties. A few regiments from Pennsylvania arrived. 
In April. General Israel Putnam was sent to take com- 
mand. He at once established rigid military rule, and 
ordered the construction of more batteries. 

Everything possible for the protection of the city 
had been accomplished before Howe, crowded out of 
Boston, sailed by way of Halifax for Xew York with 
his 8,000 veterans. Fortunately he delayed his com- 
ing until June, thus giving the Americans time for 
further preparation for his reception. 

Washington in New York. — Washington scarcely 
waited to take possession of Boston and the stores left 
there by Howe, before he started for Xew York, tak- 
ing with him a part of his force and gathering more as 
he proceeded on his march. On April 13 he reached 
Xew York. Hardly had he begun work, when congress 
summoned him to Philadelphia. There were sharp 
divisions in that body. It was learned that England 
had not only all the Xew York Indians and the Cana- 
dians as allies, but that she had hired a large force of 
German mercenaries*. 

While there was no question as to the righteousness 
of their cause, many of the x^mericans were stunned 
by the difficulties which they saw before them. Fur- 
ther, the question of independence had now come to 
the front and was being pressed for decision. 

* See Declaration of Independence. 



1776] Delegates to the Provincial Congkess 237 

Washington did not tarry in Philadelphia, but 
hastening back to New York, bent every energy for 
its defence. 

The June election of 1776. — There never was a 
grander illustration of the true principles of liberty 
than w^as afforded by Xew York, when on June 19, 
1776, by the advice of leading patriots, a new election 
of delegates to the provincial congress was ordered. 
With active preparations for war going on, with a 
British fleet bearing an army of invasion hourly ex- 
pected, the polls were opened and the free-holders of 
the colony were given an opportunity to choose between 
submission to England and the unknown fortunes of 
a war for independence. 

The result was that nearly every member was re- 
elected, and the provincial congress was charged to 
vote for absolute separation from the crown. This 
was the body which in the following month changed 
the name of Xew York's legislature to "the conven- 
tion of representatives". 

New York and the Declaration of Independ- 
ence. — On July 2 the continental congress had agreed 
upon the Declaration. The formal vote was not 
taken until the 4th. The news reached New York 
July 9, and was received with the wildest demonstra- 
tions of joy. Bells were rung and cannon boomed 
while British men-of-war rode at anchor in the bay. 
Flags were flung to the breeze, and in the evening the 
city was ablaze with bonfires. 

By AVashington's orders, the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence was read to every brigade of troops in the 



238 Declarattox OF Independence [Period VII 

vicinity, and everywhere the soldiers greeted the news 
with shouts of applause. An immense concourse of 
people, moved by a common impulse, went to the city 
hall, tore the portrait of George III from the wall, cut 
it into strips, and trampled it under foot. Then, pro- 
ceeding to Bowling Green, they pulled his equestrian 
statue down, horse and man, and with shouts dragged 
it through the streets. This they declared should be 
" run into bullets for his hireling soldiery "*. 

Washington, although appreciating the gravity of 
the situation much better than the people, sternly dis- 
approved the act and published an order to that effect. 

The provincial coiiventioii and the Declaration. 
— Xew York was now a military i3ost, — a city of camps, 
and the situation so threatening that the "conven- 
tion'' had withdrawn to White Plains. 

There were 38 men present when the Declaration 
Avas read. With one voice they agreed to sustain it 
with their lives and their fortunes. To them this 
meant much, for they realized that independence 
could be established only through much sorrow and 
suffering. Personally, they must sacrifice both station 
and wealth. Van Rensselaer, Van Cortlandt, Schuy- 
ler, the Morrises and the Livingstons understood that 
it meant the loss of inherited wealth and the abandon- 
ment of ancestral estates. To the representatives 
from the interior it meant still more. It meant in- 
vasion, and a return to the savagery of Indian wars, 
the tomahawk and the scalping-knife. 

Xew^ York's delegation in congress had not yet signed 
the declaration; they had waited for instruction from 

'^The British soldiers retaliated a few weeks later by 
demolishing the statue of Pitt. 



1776] Washington recognized as General 



239 



the people of their State. On the day that the vote 
was taken at White Plains a swift messenger was 
started for Philadelphia, with instruction to "sign", 
and on July 19 the signatures of Xew York's four re- 
maining delegates, William Floyd, Philip Livingston, 
Francis Lewis and Lewis Morris, were affixed with the 
others to the engrossed copy of the immortal document. 
The arrival of the British army.— On July 12, 
1776, the advance ships of Lord Howe's fleet began to 
arrive. Howe's first step was to assure the Americans 
that his mission was a peaceful one. Accordingly he 
sent a letter by flag of truce addressed to " Mr. Wash- 
ington". The officers who met the boat bearing the 
flag coolly told the bearer that they knew no such per- 
son, and the interview closed. 

Washington recognized as general. — A later re- 
quest for an interview with Washington was granted. 
An officer from Lord Howe's staff was allowed to land 
and was taken into Washington's presence. This time 
he was addressed as " excellency " and the letter which 
the officer bore was to " George Washington, Esq., etc., 
etc." The messenger, an officer of high rank, in- 
formed Washington that Lord Howe and General Howe 




F.AKL Rl 



Howe. IT^o-lTyy 




William Howe. 17:29-1814 



240 The British on Long Island [Period VII 

were entrusted with very large discretionary powers, 
could grant pardons, etc., etc. To this, reply was 
made that Americans did not understand that in ask- 
ing for the rights of Englishmen they had been guilty 
of "crime"; and so the second effort at negotiations 
ended in failure. Americans were not asking for par- 
don. There had been a time when they asked for 
righU; now they were seeking for independence. 

Difficulty in defending New York. — All this time 
England's great fleet lay in the harbor, — 37 men-of- 
war and 400 transports, — a magnificent spectacle. On 
these transports were more than 30,000 men, to meet 
whom AVashington could muster less than 17,000 
militia, — undisciplined, poorly armed, most of them 
entirely inexperienced in war. To make the case still 
more difficult, these troops were necessarily scattered 
over an area of many miles. The forts on the Hudson 
must be held, for with that river in the hands of the 
enemy and with absolutely no communication by sea, 
the ^ew England colonies would be entirely separated 
from the others. Through his tory allies on shore, 
Lord Howe knew perfectly the situation there. So 
difficult of defence was the city, that the project of 
burning and deserting it was seriously discussed. 

The Battle of Long Island, 1776.— Slowly the 
month of July and the first half of August passed. 
The heat was intense, and daily, in Washington's scat- 
tered camps, the question was asked, " Where will the 
attack be made?" 

A British force had been landed on Staten Island ; 
the remainder were on the transports. On the morn- 




1776] Howe's Mistake 241 

ing of August 22 the booming of cannon from Long 
Island told that the hour of conflict had arrived. 
Under cover of the fire from their frigates, the 
British troops were being 
landed at Gravesend. As 
rapidly as possible the patriot 
regiments were brought in 
from their camps about Kew 
York and pushed out toward 
the enemy. General Israel 
Putnam was placed in com- 
mand of the main line. On 
the 27th the final struggle 
isRAE. PrTXAM. 1718-1790 came. Superior numbers 

enabled Howe to detach a force about the flank of the 
American lines, and before Washington could even 
reach the field the day was lost. 

Washington's first battle a defeat. — It was 
Washington's first battle and he had been defeated. 
The American loss was severe in killed and wounded, 
and many were taken prisoners. But one course was 
now open. In the night, quietly but skilfully, the 
remnant of the army was withdrawn to Xew York, 
and in the morning, the ragged, dispirited column was 
put in motion toward the north. 

Howe's mistake. — Howe had won a battle, but like 
many another commander had sat down afterward and 
failed to reap the fruit of it. With a strong reserve 
force and a fleet at his command he could easily have 
made Washington's now famous retreat impossible. 

Again the question came up for solution, " Shall New 
York be defended or abandoned?" To decide this a 



242 AxoTHER Peace Commission [Period VII 

council of war was called; ten voted to evacuate, 
three to defend. Among the latter was General George 
Clinton, who, when New York was threatened, had im- 
mediately left congress at Philadelphia and hastened 
home to take his place in the ranks of her defenders. 

Another peace commission. — Lord Howe's slow- 
ness in occupying Xew York can be accounted for only 
on the ground of a sincere desire to bring about a set- 
tlement of a quarrel in which he had little heart. 

Having now in his hands as prisoners several officers 
of the American army, he determined to make one 
more effort for peace. For this purpose he chose Gen- 
eral Sullivan, asking him to go to Philadelphia and tell 
congress that he would be glad to receive a delegation 

from that body. Congress 
would not officially treat 
with Howe, but it agreed to 
send a commission to learn 
what he had to say. For 
this purpose, Dr. Franklin, 
John Adams, and Edward 
Rutledge were chosen. 
They proceeded to Amboy, 
Xew Jersey, where Lord 
John Adams. i7:i^-iH-,>« Howc's bargcs wcrc Waiting 

to carry them to his headquarters on Staten Island. 

The interview was a most polite affair. Howe re- 
ceived his guests with the greatest courtesy. He spoke 
of the regard he felt for Americans since the death of 
his elder brother among them, eighteen years before, 
on the shore of Lake George. He expressed his strong 




1776] New York Dismantled 243 

desire to devise some plan by which the mutual suffer- 
ings of a protracted war might be averted. 

The conversation lasted for four hours, but was as 
devoid of results as the former efforts had been. The 
truth again came out that there were but two courses 
open to the colonies: one was submission to England, 
the other was war. Beyond any doubt Lord Howe 
was disappointed. It is reported of him that he paced 
his room for hours in deep thought and with a sad 
face. Finally his duty as a soldier triumphed. Vig- 
orous measures were at once begun, and from that hour 
there was no delay in pressing the war. 

New York dismantled. — It was now Sept. 12. 
The certainty that New York was to be abandoned by 
the patriot army led to a scene of wild confusion. 
Hundreds of families which had cast in their lot with 
the cause of independence still remained. These all 
hastily prepared to depart. Homes were abandoned, 
the dwellings of the poor and the mansions of the rich 
alike. 

There were sad partings, for old neighbors took 
opposite sides and even families were divided. House- 
hold effects were carried to the up-river towns or to 
the country. Every sort of vehicle or river-craft was 
pressed into service. The convention had directed 
that everything so far as possible that could be of use 
to the enemy should be removed. Even the church 
bells were taken down and carted away. In two days 
the city presented a scene of desolation hard to imagine. 

The final departure.— On Sunday, Sept. 15, the 

English began to close in on the northern end of Man- 



244 The Final Departure [Period YII 

hattan, and the last patriot troops prepared to with- 
draw. Along the country roads, where now are New 
York's most populous streets, the "ragged continen- 
tals " retreated, closely followed by scarlet-coated Brit- 
ish. Sharp skirmishes were frequent. An English 
force had landed above with the intention of cutting 
off the retreat of Washington's rear-guard. There 
were too few of them to fight, — too many to be taken. 
In this final retreat there were many tragic scenes, 
many hair-breadth escapes, and many cases of personal 
heroism. 

At the rear of this column was Alexander Hamilton 
in command of a battery, with which he did most ex- 
cellent service. Conducting the column by side roads 
through the woods was Aaron Burr, who knew every 
foot of the ground. At her beautiful home on Murray 
Hill, Mrs. Murray^ entertained Generals Howe, Clin- 
ton, and Cornwallis with wine and cake and gay conver- 
sation, while their soldiers rested for two hours among 
the shrubbery, and the American rear-guard passed 
silently within half a mile. At Harlem Heights the 
army went into camp, wet, hungry, weary, disheart- 
ened, and night settled down on Xew York in the 
hands of the enemy, to remain in their undisputed 
possession for seven long, eventful years. 

SUMMARY 

1. New York; Sears, Lee, and Stirling. 

2. The defence of New York. 

3. AVashington in New York. 

4. New Y^ork elections, 1776, and results. 

* The mother of Lindley Murray, the grammarian. 



1776] Summary 245 

5. The Declaration of Independence ; action of New 
York; caution of her delegates. 

6. Portrait and statue of King George; retaliation. 

7. Xames of New York's signers to Declaration. 

8. Arrival of British army, 1776. 

9. General Howe's correspondence. 

10. Reasons for American answer. 

11. Proportion and equipment of armies. 

12. Landing and battle of Long Island. 

13. The great retreat. 

14. Howe's second peace commission. 

15. New York dismantled. 

16. Washington's army retreats from New York. 



CHAPTER XXVIII 



West yhinio 



The First Invasion of Xew York 

Importance of the Hudson.— The struggle for the 

possession of the 
Hudson necessarily 
made Xew York 
the chief battle 
ground of the rev- 
olution. With great 
labor and expense 
the river had been 
fortified. Ai the 
Palisades was Fort 
Lee, and above were 
Forts Washington 
and Constitution, 
Stony Point, Clin- 
ton, Independence, 
Montgomery, West 
Point, William 
Henry, Ticonder- 
oga and Crown 
Point. To hold all 
or as many as pos- 
sible was essential 
to the American 
cause ; their reduc- 
tion was necessary 
to the English. 
Meantime W a s h - 
ington's lictle army must be brushed aside. 

me) 




1776] Battle of Harlem Heights 247 

Battle of Harlem Heights, 1776.— The full sig- 
nificance of this engagement has never been half ap- 
preciated. On the part of the British, it was an effort 
to expel Washington from Manhattan island before he 
could fortify. On AVashington's part it was an effort 
to retrieve the disaster of Long Island. The battle was 
fought on Sept. 16 among the rocky forests of Harlem 
Heights, embracing that territory now included be- 
tween 125th and 150th streets in New York city. The 
Americans had 4,000 men, the English 6,000, — small 
forces as armies are reckoned now, but enough to make 
this, among the battles of the revolution, a serious 
engagement. 

The English suffered much more severely than the 
Americans, and in the end were driven from the field. 
Washington now had time to withdraw all military sup- 
plies, while from that time forward his raw levies were 
soldiers, feeling themselves, man for man, more than 
a match for the British regulars opposed to them. 

For three weeks Washington's army occupied its 
position on this battle-field unmolested, while all the 
city to the south was in the hands of the enemy. 

New York's first great fire, 1776. — It was during 
these weeks that New York city was visited with its 
first great conflagration. In the night of Sept. 21, 
while the wind was blowing a gale from the south, a 
fire started from a house in which there was a drunken 
carousal. It spread rapidly to the north and west, 
crossed Broadway, and consumed many of the finest 
buildings in the city, among them Trinity church and 
the Charity school. When morning dawned, nearly all 
the city west of Broadway was in ruins. 



248 Xathan Hale [Period VII 

The story of Nathan Hale. — On the morning 
after the fire, Sept. 22, Nathan Hale, the spy, was 
brought to New York, a prisoner. It was necessary 
for Washington to know something of the movements 
and plans of Lord Howe. For this dangerous errand, 
Nathan Hale, a young captain in a Massachusetts 
regiment, volunteered. He was but twenty-one years 
of age, handsome, talented, a graduate of Yale col- 
lege, in every way a most promising young man. Dis- 
guised as a country school teacher he made his way to 
Connecticut, crossed to Long Island, visited the Eng- 
lish army lying there, obtained all the needed informa- 
tion, and was well on his way back to Washington's 
headquarters when he was detected. When brought 
before Lord Howe he frankly admitted his character 
and position in the American army, and received his 
sentence as became a christian soldier. By the officer 
in charge of his guard, one Cunningham, he was denied 
a Bible, for which he had asked; and the letters which 
he had written to his mother and his sweetheart were 
torn and burned before his eyes. His brave heart did 
not fail when the hour of his execution came, and his 
last words, " I only regret that I have but one life to 
lose for my country," have since his day inspired many 
an American soldier. 

Death of Governor Coldeu. — On the day of 

Nathan Hale's capture, the venerable Dr. Colden 
passed away at his country seat near Flushing, Long 
Island. For many years he had been identified with 
the history of our State. At the outbreak of the 



1776] Loss OF THE Lower Hudson 249 

revolution he retired to his country home, and took no 
further active interest in public affairs. 

From Harlem Heights to White Plains, 1776. 

— Early in October Howe began his movement up the 
Hudson. He had failed to drive the American army 
from its position; he now proposed get in the rear of 
it. Had Washington obligingly sat still, that feat could 
easily have been accomplished. 

The obstructions which had been placed in the Hud- 
son were removed, and Howe's army moved northward 
on its transports, its frigates always conveniently near. 
The first attempt to make a landing was successfully 
resisted. The next day, Oct. 13, the landing was 
effected. Washington was already there with his camp 
strongly entrenched. A few days later, Oct. 29, Lord 
Howe made an unsuccessful attempt to dislodge Wash- 
ington from his position at White Plains, but, it being 
evident that the place would not long be tenable, the 
Americans withdrew to the heights of Xorth Castle. 

Loss of Fort Washington. — Still hoping to main- 
tain a foot-hold on Manhattan Island, Washington had 
strongly fortified Fort Washington (now 183d street), 
and left there a garrison of 2,800 men under command 
of a trusted officer. Colonel Robert Magaw. On the 
night of Nov. 2, a traitor. Adjutant AVilliam Demont, 
left the fort and took to Lord Howe a full description 
of the works, with the strength of the garrison and 
plans for its capture. Magaw made a brave defence 
but was finally obliged to capitulate. 



250 Operations ox Lake Champlain [Period VII 

The loss of Fort Washington involved the fall of 
Fort Lee opposite and opened the lower Hudson to the 
passage of British ships. This virtually closed opera- 
tions in Xew York for the winter. 

Following these events, came the long, weary retreat 
through Xew Jersey, the stirring battles at Trenton 
and Princeton, and the sad winter at Morristown, 
where Washington's army dwindled to a handful of 
half-clothed, unpaid, but resolute men. 

Arnold on Lake Cliamplain^ 1776.— With Xew 
York City, the bay and lower Hudson in the hands of 
the British, it was considered certain that an invasion 
would also be made from Canada. 

To provide against this, General Gates had been 
placed in command of the northern department; the 
remnant of the force which had escaped from Quebec 
was retained at Ticonderoga. Small re-inforcements 
were sent to their support, and Arnold was placed in 
command, with instructions to prepare such a fleet as 
he was able, to resist the enemy if possible, and if not, 
to retard him as much as possible. 

By the middle of August he had ready a little squad- 
ron consisting of one sloop, three schooners, and five 
gondolas, carrying all told, 45 guns. With these he 
set out to meet the expected enemy. At Windmill 
Point he anchored his vessels in a line across the lake 
and waited. A small scouting party which he sen,t 
out was attacked and repulsed with considerable loss. 
Already short of men to defend his position, he retired 
to Valcour Island, when he determined to give battle. 



177G] 



A Glorious Retreat 



251 



On Oct. 11 the enemy under Carleton appeared with a 

^^^^^^ formidable force; one large 

^^^^^Hpi^^^ ship, two schooners, a large 

^^^^^^KM ^^^^) ^^^ gondola, 20 gun- 

^^^^^^H|^U||^ boats, four longboats and 44 

|^^H|HHiH^V smaller boats loaded with 

^BBw^ im^ sujiplies. With the flotilla 

^r^^ ' ''^^^pP were 1,700 seamen well 

armed. 

It was a desperate odds, 
i^i' |3^^|^ Arnold never counted 

Sir Guy Carleton. 1724-1808 numbcrs. The battle began 
at noon and lasted until five o'clock, when the British 
retired. It was a fortunate respite, for Arnold's little 
fleet was nearly annihilated, and at least one-half its 
defenders were killed or wounded. 

In the night, all that remained were skilfully re- 
moved to Schuyler's Island, farther up the lake, where 
two days later the battle was renewed. In the end, 
nothing was left of Arnold's fleet but the sloop and 
four gondolas. These he ran into a small creek ten 
miles from Crown Point. Then setting them on fire 
with their flags still flying, he defended them until 
they were enveloped in flames, when with his little 
band of survivors he retreated to Crown Point. 

Pursued by Indians, and unable to hold even that 
post, on the following night Arnold retired to Ticon- 
deroga. He had been defeated; but for the British, it 
was like their victory at Bunker Hill, — all the glory 
clung to the vanquished. 

Carleton retired down the lake and the first invasion 
of Xew York was at an end. 



252 Midnight of the Revolution [Period VII 

Defence of the Hudson. — In the year 1776, two 
vessels ordered by congress were built at Poughkeepsie 
in the continental ship-yards of Van Zandt, Lawrence, 
and Tudor. These were the '^ Montgomery^ \ 24 guns, 
and the " Congress'' \ 28 guns. 

This company also built the great " booms " across 
the Hudson, one at Anthony's Xose, the entrance to 
the Highlands, and the other at West Point. These 
"booms" were immense iron chains borne on floats 
made of pitch-pine logs sharpened at both ends. Parts 
of these are still preserved at West Point and Xewburg. 

British prisons. — One of the sad features of war 
is the lack of care given to prisoners. The lot of the 
soldier in active service is hard; but the fate of the 
prisoner of war is usually much harder. 

Early in the revolution arrangements for exchange 
of prisoners were made, but unfortunately the British 
still held many, as the Americans had few to give in 
exchange. The Americans taken at Quebec were 
treated with great kindness, but Xew York became a 
city of i^risons, containing more than 5,000 men who 
had been taken in the operations about Xew York and 
by British privateers. 

Many were confined in churches, under conditions 
which soon made them charnel-houses. AVorse than 
the churches were the damp warehouses where men 
spent the winter without fires or blankets or suitable 
food. But more dreadful than all other places were 
the prison ships at AVallabout, where in old, rotten 
hulks, men never saw the light of day, and died, feel- 
ing that they were forgotten of God and man. 



1777] Disaster knit them closer 253 

The midnight of the revolution, 1776-1777.— 

When the new year dawned there seemed for the 
Americans scarcely a ray of hope. Howe had indeed 
been driven from Boston, but he had taken I^ew York, 
— a more important position. In many small engage- 
ments the Americans had held a much larger force at 
bay. They had won some insignificant victories under 
circumstances which proved their valor. But Wash- 
ington had been driven from Xew York, and the enemy 
held sway over the entire vicinity. 

There was then little prospect of European inter- 
vention. Nowhere was there an organized, disciplined, 
paid army, capable of making offensive warfare. In 
the cantonments about Morristown, N. J., and in the 
forts that guarded the Hudson and the northern lakes, 
the ragged remnant of the American army awaited the 
spring. In Philadelphia, congress "advised" and 
hoped. The Xew York convention kept up a form of 
government and made it respected. To the observer 
there was not one sign of promise. 

Still deep in the hearts of the people burned the un- 
quenchable fires of patriotism; and while England 
planned with the opening of spring to make what was 
thought to be her last, decisive campaign, the undis- 
mayed colonists were knitting still closer the bonds of 
union, and laying deeper and broader the foundations 
of that free government to which they had pledged 
their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. 

SUMMARY 

1. Forts on Hudson. 

2. Battle of Harlem Heights. 



254 Summary [Period VII 

3. New York's great fire, 1776: story of Nathan 
Hale. 

4. Ex-Governor Colden. 

5. The retreat to AVhite Plains and North Castle. 

6. Fort AA'ashington taken. 

7. Arnold on Lake Champlain. 

8. Defence of the Hudson; importance of. 

9. British prisons. 

10. Midnight of the revolution. 



CHAPTER XXIX 



New York a severe sufferer. — On no other colony 
had the war pressed so heavily as upon X^ew York. 
Shut off completely from the sea, her chief city al- 
ready ruined and in the hands of the enemy, threatened 
with invasion both from Canada and from the sea- 
board, with thousands of hostile savages dwelling 
within her borders, with a large tory element keeping 
the enemy constantly informed of every intended 
movement, the winter was indeed a night of gloom. 
Yet at Kingston, almost within hearing of the drums 
of the enemy, her convention of representatives pre- 
pared for the coming struggle and framed the govern- 
ment of the future State in sublime confidence that 
independence would yet be achieved. 

Migrations of the convention. — While active mil- 
itary operations were being carried on in New York 
city and in its vicinity, the convention had of neces- 
sity been a migratory body. From the city it had re- 
moved successively to White Plains, to Harlem, to 
Kingsbridge, to Philipse Manor, to Fishkill, and 
finally to Kingston. 

To the faithful, patriotic labors of this legislative 
body, New York owes much. As the successor of the 
old colonial assembly and the X^ew York colonial con- 

(255) 



256 The Constitution of 1777 [Period VII 

gress, it conducted the affairs of the colony safely 
through a most critical period of our history, and, as 
its final act, established the first constitution of the 
State at Kingston, in 1777. 

The constitution of 1777.— The convention hav- 
ing by a solemn resolution declared that the " reasons 
assigned by the continental congress for declaring 
the united colonies free and independent States are 
cogent and conclusive ", appointed a committee to pre- 
pare a form of government. 

This committee, appointed Aug. 1, 177C, was com- 
posed of the following members: 

John Jay, John Sloss Hobart, William Smith, Wil- 
liam Duer, Gouverneur Morris, Robert R. Livingston, 
John Browne, John Morin Scott, Abraham Yates, Jr., 
Henry Wisner, Samuel Townsend, Charles DeWitt, 
Robert Yates. 

The committee took until March 12, 1777, for the 
preparation of this great document, and on that day 
reported Xew York's first constitution. This was dis- 
cussed by the convention until April 20, when it was 
adopted. The framers of this constitution affirmed 
the sovereignty of the people, the freedom of every 
citizen from any interference whatsoever except by 
authority of the people, and declared that the object 
of government was the safety and happiness of the 
people. 

Jay, Livingston, Morris. — The constitution was 
really the work of three very young men. These 
were Jay, who was thirty-two, Livingston who was 
thirty, and Morris who was but twenty-five years of 



1777] 



Jay, Livingston, Morris 



357 




John Jay. 1745-182S 



age. These men were from the wealthiest families 

in the State, and each 
had received the best edu- 
cation the times afforded. 
Had they not chosen t o 
peril their lives and to sac- 
rifice their fortunes in the 
cause of liberty, they would 
have been certain of royal 
favor and great political 
advancement. 

The constitution having 

been adopted, the next step was to publish it to the 

people. For this purpose, 
the ringing of the church 
bell called them together, 
and standing upon a barrel 
in front of the courthouse 
Egbert Benson, the secretary, 
proceeded to read in a clear, 
full voice the immortal docu- 
ment. Three thousand copies 
were ordered printed for gen- 
eral distribution. 




Egbert Benson. 1746-1833 



Its provisions. — Although the constitution of 1777 
contained so many objectionable features that its 
amendment was soon found to be necessary, the fact 
remains that in its general provisions it was more lib- 
eral than that adopted by any other State. It guar- 
anteed absolute freedom of religious profession and 
worship to every citizen. A property qualification of 



258 Constitution of 1777 [Period YII 

£20 was required for the elective franchise, but no dis- 
crimination was made on account of race or color. 

The legislative body consisted then, as now, of two 
branches, and to the assembly, as being nearest the 
people, was committed the greater share of responsi- 
bility. 

The governor was made chief executive, but was 
stripped of much of the power he had held under the 
crown. He no longer had judicial functions, so care- 
ful were the framers to do away with every vestige of 
arbitrary power. 

Appointive officers.— In the first constitution 
there were severalvery striking peculiarities. Most of 
the officers of the State were appointed. The gover- 
nor, lieutenant-governor, senators, and assemblymen 
were the only State officers elected by the people. 
The town clerks, supervisors, assessors, constables, and 
collectors were elected, but every judiciary officer, 
from the chief justice of the State to the town justice 
of the peace was appointed. 

This anomaly was the result of an almost universal 
feeling that the people could not be entrusted with 
such important and delicate matters. To provide for 
such offices a " council of appointment " was created. 
This consisted of one senator from each district, ap- 
pointed by the assembly. Over this council the governor 
presided and had a "casting vote". In time, this 
council became a most powerful and corrupt monopoly. 

The council of revision. — Another peculiarity of 
the constitution was the council of revision. The 
committee that framed the constitution, in creating an 



1777] The first State Government 259 

assembly that should come directly from the people, 
felt sure that they could not be entrusted with the im- 
mense powers of legislation. In appearance the 
assembly was to have legislative powers, but in fact 
these were taken from them by the council of revision, 
which consisted of the governor, the chancellor, and 
the judges of the supreme court. By the provisions 
of the constitution, all bills which should pass the sen- 
ate and assembly must be submitted to this council 
before they could become laws. The council possessed 
the veto power now held by the governor. 

In other particulars the provisions of the first con- 
stitution have been mainly retained in subsequent re- 
visions. It was never submitted to the people, but was 
immediately put into operation by the committee 
which framed it. 

Mr. Jay had prepared an additional article providing 
for the abolition of slavery, which he intended to sub- 
mit before the final vote was taken, but by his necessary 
absence for one day this article failed to be incor- 
porated. By this unfortunate circumstance, Xew 
York lost the honor of being the first State to blot out 
the barbarism of human slavery. 

The council of safety. — The convention of rep- 
resentatives, by creating a written constitution, ceased 
to exist on the day that the colony of Xew York be- 
came the State of New York. That no unforeseen 
event might endanger the completion of the work it 
had so well begun, on May 3, 1777, it created a 
"council of safety" of 15 members, as a temporary 
body to put the nevf government in operation. 

Before it adjourned the convention appointed John 



260 



Constitution of 1777 [Period VII 




Robert R. Livingston. 17'46-1813 



Jay chief justice, Robert R. 
Livingston chancellor, and 
other necessary judges. 

It being impossible to hold 
elections in Xew York, 
Kings, Queens, and Suffolk 
counties, the convention ap- 
pointed the senators and 
assemblymen for those dis- 
tricts. It defined the crime 
of treason, and for it im- 
posed the penalty of death. It also declared that all 
grants of land made within the State by any person 
acting under the authority of the king of England 
after Oct. 14, 1775, should be "null and void". In 
May the convention adjourned, and the "council of 
safety" undertook the difficult task of inaugurating 
the new government. 
New York's first election "^^ 1777. — In June the 
first election occurred, when 
George Clinton was chosen 
\ governor and Perie Van 

^^ """ ^'^ Cortlandt, lieutenant-gover- 

^^ , ,, nor. Governor Clinton was 

3L 'j. then in active service in the 

"^^d^^^^^^V^ continental army, and he 

^i^^^^H^^ ^^ continued his military duties 

^^^^^^^ i-f^ until after the surrender of 
Buraroyne in the succeeding 

George Clinton. 1739-1812 => -^ ° 

Governor, 1777-1795. 1801-1804 SUmmcr. FcW morC able 



* The first meeting of the new legislature was held at 
Kingston, and the first speaker was Walter Livingston. 



1777] Summary 261 

men have ever occupied the governor's chair. He was 
a trained lawyer, and had good military ability. He 
was at this time but 37 years of age, yet he had been 
in public life for ten years. He was six times elected 
to the office of governor of his State. 

SUMMARY 

1. New York convention of representatives and its 
migrations. 

2. The first State constitution; origin and nature; 
the men who framed it; first governor. 

3. Its publication; its provisions. 

4. Council of safety, and first election. 



CHAPTER XXX 



Burgoyne's Intyasion, 1777 

New York the battle-ground.— AVhile the people 
of Xew York had been establishing their form of 
government, active military operations had gone on. 

Early in the spring it was seen that New l^ork would 
be the main field of operations. There were two rea- 
sons for this. The cautious but firm attitude of the 
New Y^ork patriots had for years been most galling to 
King George and his ministry. To humble that proud 
colony would be counted a special stroke of good for- 
tune. Its geographical position, the very point that 
had 133 years before made King Charles covet it from 
the Dutch, now made it desirable that the patriot 
power there should be crushed. For this purpose a 
most elaborate campaign was planned. 

The plan of campaign. — Lake Champlain, as far 
as Crown Point, was already 
in British hands. Burgoyne 
with a strong force, amply 
equipped, was to ascend the 
lake, take Ticonderoga, and 
sweep southward to the Hud- 

t~"a^P- son. From the west, by way 
y^^-^: of the Mohawk, St. Leger 
^^ was to advance to his support 
with an army of British reg- 
ulars, Hessian riflemen, Sir 
(262) 




Bakry St. Leger, 1737-1^ 



1777] Capture of Ticonderoga 263 

John Johnson's Royal Greens and Butler's Rangers 
(two tory organizations), and all the warriors from four 
Iroquois tribes, — the Oneidas, and Tuscororas refus- 
ing to join him. 

These alone would seem to be suflficient, but to make 
assurance more than sure, Lord Howe was to ascend 
the Hudson and meet the other forces in the vicinity 
of Albany. It was an admirable plan; surely not one 
'* rebel " militia company could escape being caught 
in the net. 

To make the outlook still darker for New York, there 
was a lack of harmony at Philadelphia among those 
who should direct the defence. 

Ticonderoga taken. — General Schuyler was in com- 
mand in Xew York, and^ with his usual energy was 
exerting himself to interpose every 
obstacle that human ingenuity 
could devise, to retard the advance 
of the enemy. In the midst of his 
labors he was superseded and then 
restored, — too late to save Ticonde- 
plan of Ticonderoga ^oga. Its cvacuation was a military 
i^^6 necessity, though so many were the 

traditions of that old fortress, it had come to be con- 
sidered the very Gibraltar of American independence. 
Burgoyne occupied Ticonderoga in July, almost 
without opposition. The news of its capture threw 
King George into transports of delight. On hearing 
of it, he rushed into the Queen's apartments, danc- 
ing like a child and shouting, "I have beaten the 
Americans! I have beaten the Americans! " 




264 



Schuyler axd Gates [Period VII 



Gren. Schuyler's plans. — Even at Philadelphia the 
loss of Ticonderoga was felt to be a disaster. General 
Schuyler comprehended the situation much better. 

He knew thoroughly the 
ground over which Burgoyne 
must advance. To the Amer- 
icans Ticonderoga was abso- 
lutely valueless. Its capture 
necessitated a garrison and 
weakened Burgoyne's army. 
Schuyler's plan was to let 
Burgoyne advance well into 
the State where the Ameri- 
can forces could be concen- 
trated and then to give battle when and where the 
greatest advantage could be secured. 




John Burgoyne. 1722-1792 




Philip Schuyler, 1733-1804 Horatio Gates. 1728-1806 

Schuyler's enemies succeeded in getting him removed 
(see page 269), and Gates took his place; but all the 
events of the campaign proved the wisdom of its first 
conception, and Schuyler, not Gates, was the real con- 
queror of Burgoyne. 



1777] 



Siege of Fort Stanwix 



265 




Peter Gansevoort, 1749-18i:i; 



Siege of Fort Stanwix. — Events did not await the 
arrival of General Gates, nor did General Schuyler 
abate one jot of that enterprise for which he was so 

justly celebrated. Learning 
of the advance of St. Lesrer 
from Lake Ontario, Schuy- 
ler placed a strong garrison 
in Fort Stanwix. To com- 
mand this important post, 
he detailed Colonel Peter 
Gansevoort, a bold, energetic 
man. Though but 28 years 
of age, he possessed the cool- 
ness and steadiness of a vet- 
eran. Colonel Marinus Willett was sent to assist him. 
^ St. Leger rapidly advanced against the place with a 
motley force of British regulars, tories, Hessians, and 
Indians, eighteen hundred in number. On Aug. 3, the 
fort was invested. 

— This invasion aroused the 
patriots of ^^ew York. Gen- 
eral Nicholas Herkimer gath- 
ered a force of 800 Tryon 
county militia and hastened 
to the relief of Stanwix. On 
the morning of Aug. 6, he 
reached Oriskany creek, some 
six miles from the fort. The 
morning was sultry; his men 
were weary. It was neces- 
sary to cross a small, boggy 
ravine by a narrow corduroy road. This he was doing 



Battle of Oriskauy 




Nicholas Herkimer, 1715-17'; 



1777] Battle of Oriskany 267 

without due caution, when a force of Indians and 
tories in ambush fired upon him. At the first fire 
General Herkimer fell, severely wounded. For an 
instant his men quailed, but the voice of their wounded 
commander rallied them, and again they rushed to the 
attack. While ammunition lasted, they fought at a 
distance, from behind trees; when ammunition failed, 
they fought at close quarters, with clubbed muskets 
and bayonets against tomahawks*. 

From ten in the morning until three in the after- 
noon the fight raged. At that hour Colonel Willett 
led a sortie from the fort against the besiegers. This 
forced the recall of the troops sent against Herkimer, 
and the bloodiest battle of the revolution was over. 
The patriots had lost 200 killed, — one-fourth of their 
number. 

The siege of Fort Stanwix was now pressed with 
vigor by St. Leger, and again General Schuyler deter- 
mined to send help to the brave garrison. It was a 
dangerous errand, and volunteers were called for. 

Six hundred men offered to go, and General Arnold 
volunteered to lead them. Before another man could 
have decided on a plan, Arnold and his band were well 
on their way, pushing up the Mohawk. With all his 
impetuosity, Arnold was also fertile in devices. The 
story of the ruse by which he spread terror through 
St. Leger's army has many variations but it served a 
purpose f. 

*The presence of former neighbors on opposite sides 
made this one of the most sanguinary battles of the war. 

f The best version, and probably the correct one, is 
briefly as follows. With St. Leger were two honest 



268 The Stars and Stripes unfurled [Period VII 

The siege was raised Aug. 22. St. Leger, British, 
Hessians, Canadians, tories and Indians were soon on 
their way back to Canada faster than they came, leav- 
ing all their belongings to the Americans. It is prob- 
able that Arnold's name had quite as much to do with 
the hasty retreat as had the fabulous number of troops 
he was supposed to be leading-^. 

Xew York boys, Hon Yost Schuyler and a younger 
brother. These lads were sent out with a small party 
to reconnoitre to the east, and fell into the hands of 
Arnold, who threatened to put Hon Y^ost to death. 
He was finally released on condition that his brother 
should remain as a hostage, while he should rejoin St. 
Leger and give out the story that Arnold was rapidly 
approaching with 2,000 men. Hon Y^ost carried out 
his agreement, escaped from the British, returned to 
the American camp, and obtained his brother's release, 
when both joined the patriot army. 

* It is claimed that the "stars and stripes" as au- 
thorized by act of congress, 
June 14, 1777, were first 
.>x unfurled over Fort Stanwix 

during the siege. When 
Colonel Willett made his 
sortie, he captured a large 
quantity of English fiags 
and Indian blankets. From 
these and "ammunition 
shirts", with bits of red 
contributed by members of 
the garrison, and an old cam- 

Marinus Willett, 1740-1830 J^t cloak, with much labor 

and no little skill, the soldiers manufactured the first 
American flag and hoisted it to the view of the be- 
sieging force. 




177T] Burgoyne's Advance 269 

Advance of Biirgoyne. — While these stirring events 
were taking place, General Biirgoyne was confidently 
pushing his way southward in accordance with the 
grand plan of the campaign. He published bombastic 
" orders ", intended to inspire courage in his own 
troops and strike terror to the hearts of " the rebels ". 
He had with him 3,700 British regulars, 8,000 German 
auxiliaries, 400 Indians, 475 artillerymen and 250 
Canadians. With this force he swept all before him 
until on July 30 he reached Fort Edward on the Hud- 
son. He had been delayed only a month by the op- 
position he had met on the way but this had given 
time to rally the militia until General Schuyler had 
over 4,000 men, poorly armed but brave and loyal, with 
which to oppose him. 

Schuyler superseded. — Fortunately Burgoyne lin- 
gered at Fort Edward until 
the middle of xiugust, allow- 
ing the troops from Fort Stan- 
wix to rejoin Schuyler, all of 
whose plans had, so far, 
worked well. But in con- 
gress his enemies had been 
busy, and August 4th General 
Horatio Gates arrived and 
superseded him. Schuyler 

Thaddeus Kosciusko, 1746-1817 i /• l • i. 

was so much oi a patriot 
that he quietly bowed to the will of congress, received 
the new commander courteously, and continued to do 
his duty. 

The American forces were now encamped at Bemis 




270 



Battle of Bennington [Period VII 



Heights, where Kosciusko* had erected fortifications, 
while Burgoyne had crossed the Hudson and was reap- 
ing the harvests on General Schuyler's homestead in 
the vicinity of Saratoga, in entire ignorance of the 
disaster that had befallen St. Leger. 

Battle of Beimiiigton, 1777.— Meantime, while 
he waited, it occurred to Burgoyne that it would be a 
good plan to send a small force to gather some stores 
which he learned the Americans had accumulated at 
Bennington, Yt. 

For this purpose he selected Colonel Baum with 500 
Hessians, a regiment of British regulars, one of tories, 
and 100 Indians,— in all about 1,800 men. 

But he reckoned without John Stark. This man, 
not then in active service, 
rallied the farmers of Ver- 
mont, and with a small mili- 
tia force from New Hamp- 
shire attacked Baum and 
defeated him. Reinforce- 
ments came from Burgoyne, 
but more militia came also, 
and a second engagement 
occurred on the same day, 
Aug. 16, in which the British 
were entirely routed, losing over 200 killed and 
wounded, while 700 were taken prisoners. 

* Kosciusko a captain in the Polish army came to 
America in 1776 and served with distinction until the 
close of the revolution. His subsequent career in his 
own country demonstrated his ability as a soldier and 
his high character as a man. 




John Stark, 1728-1822 



1777] Battle of Bemis Heights 271 

It was another case of " going out after wool and 
coming back shorn '\ This battle was really fought 
on ^ew York soil in the town of Hoosic, but within 
sight of the spires of Bennington. It was a severe 
blow to Burgoyne. Many of his Indians now deserted 
him; his force was growing weaker, while that of the 
Americans was steadily being augmented. 

First battle of Saratoga^ Bemis Heights, 1777. 

— Still confident of aid from the south, Burgoyne 
moved steadily forward. In such contempt had he 
and his officers held the Americans, that they had 
brought with them their wives, and in some instances 
their children, on a holiday excursion through the 
forests to Albany. 

Advancing slowly, Burgoyne was soon face to face 
with the Americans at Bemis Heights. It was now 
too late to retreat. His enemies, still increasing, 
swarmed all about him. His camp became insecure. 
Musket bullets and cannon balls penetrated the tents 
where the women huddled in terror. On Sept. 19 a 
desperate conflict raged from one o'clock till sundown, 
with no great advantage to either army. The Ameri- 
cans retired within their trenches; the British biv- 
ouaced on the field and buried their dead. Both 
parties had suffered heavy losses. 

Benedict Arnold relieved of command. — Here a 
quarrel occurred between Arnold and General Gates. 
Arnold had held the post of honor in the battle and 
wished to renew the fight. Gates forbade him, and 
words followed, which resulted in Arnold's being re- 
lieved of his command. 



272 



Loss OF Two Forts [Period YII 



A note goes astray. — Anxiously now, Burgoyne 
waited for Sir Henry Clinton, who had sent word 
that on Sept. 22, he would attack the strongholds of 
the Hudson. 





Sir Henry Clinton. 1738-1799 James Clinton, 1736-1812 

Burgoyne returned word that he could hold his place 
until Oct. 12. His message fell into the hands of the 
Clinton for whom it was not intended, — Governor and 
General George Clinton commanding Fort Montgom- 
ery; his brother, James, commanded Fort Clinton, just 
below. This gave the two patriot brothers time to 
prepare for the defence. 

Forts Montgomery and Clinton taken.— Unfor- 
tunately these two fortifications were intended only to 
bar the progress of the enemy up the Hudson; on the 
landward side they were weak. Sir Henry sent from 
New York two strong columns around the mountains 
to attack them in the rear. The garrisons made a 
stout resistance, but in the end were overpowered and 
driven to the river's edge. Xight coming on, a large 
number of them escaped*. 

*It was a singular circumstance that the brothers, 
George and James Clinton, met in the darkness while 



1777] Battle of Stillwater 273 

Sir Henry Clinton had not anticipated resistance, 
and his losses detained him. He did, however, break 
the great chain at Anthony's Xose, and got as far as 
Newburg, from which place he sent an encouraging 
word to Burgoyne. But it was too late. Burgoyne's 
supplies were running short, so he determined on an 
effort to escape toward Albany, where he hoped to find 
Sir Henry Clinton. On Oct. 7 he moved. Instantly 
the Americans were upon his track, and the second 
battle of Saratoga had begun*. 

Second battle of Saratoga, Stillwater, 1777. — 
The forces were now nearly equal, but the steady valor 
of Burgoyne's men was hardly a match for the terrible 
onset of the Americans. 

Slowly the British were forced back to the works 
they had left in the morning. Every foot of the 
ground was fiercely contested and guns were taken and 
re-taken in hand-to-hand conflicts. 

Benedict Arnold's valor. — AVhile this had been 
going on, Arnold, inactive, with no command, was 
pacing back and forth before his tent in fierce rage. 
Finally, as the lull in the battle told him it was again 

searching for some means of crossing the river. They 
found a small skiff which would hold but one. Each 
insisted that the other should take it and escape. 
Finally, James, being the stronger man, forced the gov- 
ernor into the skiff' and shoved him off. General James 
Clinton finally found a horse which he mounted, and 
making a dash through the British lines escaped, 
though severely wounded. 

* Commonly called the " second battle of Saratoga ", 
though it occurred nearer Stillwater, as the other took 
place on Bemis Heights. 



274 Surrender of Burgoyne [Period VII 

indecisive, he flung himself on his coal-black charger 
and dashed for the front. Gates sent messengers to 
recall him. He avoided them, and riding in front of 
the American lines, he called on the men for one more 
charge. With shouts they responded. The result 
was but partially successful. Bidding them hold the 
ground they had gained, he rode to another part of 
the field and led an impetuous charge upon the Brit- 
ish flank, which swept them from their works. Just 
as the brigade he led was streaming over the enemy's 
works, Arnold's horse was killed and he was severely 
wounded. 

All this time General Gates was in his tent, to all 
appearances an uninterested spectator. The victory 
had been fairly won by Schuyler, and its fruits had 
been gathered by Arnold, so recently deprived of com- 
mand. Had Benedict Arnold died on this battle field, 
his fame would have been secure; his name forever 
held in honor. 

Biirgoyiie's surrender. — The next day, Oct. 8, 
was by both parties given to the care of the wounded 
and the burial of the dead. That night a cold 
autumn rain set in and Burgoyne determined on a 
retreat toward Lake George. He had been staying in 
General Schuyler's mansion. This he burned with all 
the mills and expensive out-buildings, and then started 
his broken, dispirited remnant of an army northward. 

Everywhere the enemy swarmed about him. Which- 
ever way he turned he met a pitiless, relentless foe. 
Beaten and baffled, on Oct. 17 he surrendered his entire 
remaining force of about 6,000 men. 



1777] Pitt's Last Appeal 275 

There were many pathetic scenes in connection with 
this surrender. Burgoyne's soldiers as they laid down 
their arms wept like children, while the soldiers who 
had conquered them showed no exultation. 

General Schuyler's beautiful home was in ruins, but 
he treated the loss as one of the fortunes of war — a 
sacrifice for his country's sake. 

General Henry Clinton at Kingston^ 1777. — 

The day of Burgoyne's surrender, Sir Henry Clinton's 
forces reached Kingston. Its population was then 
about 3,000, among whom were many families of 
wealth and distinction. General Vaughn, who was in 
command of the British, burned the town. Few 
buildings escaped the flames, schools and churches 
sharing the same fate as the mansions of the rich and 
the modest homes of the poor. 

One story illustrates the spirit of the times. From 
Kingston, Vaughn crossed the Hudson and burned the 
house of every patriot within reach. There, in her 
beautiful residence at Clermont, Mrs. Livingston, 
mother of the chancellor, was caring for some wounded 
British officers. They offered to extend their protec- 
tion over her property. She bravely declined to be an 
exception among her neighbors. Taking a few valu- 
ables, she left her home, and from a distance calmly 
saw it reduced to ashes. 

Pitt's last appeal. — While this campaign was go- 
ing on, and before its result was known in England, 
Pitt, Earl of Chatham, then in declining health, asked 
to be carried to the House of Lords that he might 
make one more appeal against the insane policy of the 



2?6 High-tide of the Revolution [Period V^II 

king and his ministry. In the feeble voice of a dying 
man he declared: "You cannot conquer the Ameri- 
cans; your forces may ravage but they can never con- 
quer. I might as well talk of driving them before me 
with this crutch. We are the aggressors. ^Ye have in- 
vaded them. We have tried for unconditional submis- 
sion. Try what can be done by unconditional redress. " 
He moved for a redress of all American grievances, and 
that they be given the rights of self-government. The 
vote was lost and in its stead one was secured for 100,- 
000 men and ten millions in money for the prosecution 
of the war. 

The battle of Brandy wine. — Less brilliant, but 
just as resolute, had been the action of the American 
army at the south. Entirely maneuvered out of isew 
Jersey, Howe had sailed for the Delaware. On Aug. 
25 he landed his troops and began his march toward 
Philadelphia. On Sept. 11 occurred the battle at 
Brandy wine Creek, in which Washington was defeated. 
On Oct. 4 the battle of Germantown followed, with no 
better success to the American arms. 

The high-tide of the revolution, 1777-78.— It 

is impossible to over-estimate the importance of the 
events of the year, 1777. The British had maintained 
their hold on Xew York. They had even extended 
their field of operations to the north of the city. 
They had taken Philadelphia after the battle of Brandy- 
wine Creek, and they had won a small success at Ger- 
mantown. But their chief campaign, designed to 
reduce our own State, had failed in every particular. 
In these operations their losses had greatly exceeded 



1777] High-tide of the Revolution 277 

their small gains in other directions, while the moral 
effect of the surrender of an entire army of invasion 
was incalculable. It broke up the English plan of the 
war, which was to sever the eastern colonies from the 
southern by obtaining control of the Hudson. It saved 
New York to the patriot cause, and it rendered French 
intervention an absolute certainty. It created a strong 
peace party in England, powerless as it was in the 
hands of the king and his ministry. Better than all 
these was the courage which had made New York able, 
in the midst of alarms, to establish an enduring State 
government. 

This was to be followed by Valley Forge and a win- 
ter of deepest gloom; but, out of sight, eternal de- 
crees were surely preparing the way for American 
independence. 

SUMMARY 

1. Burgoyne's invasion, 1777; object of campaign 
and its parts. 

2. Composition of Burgoyne's army. 

3. General Schuyler and his plans. 

4. King George and Ticonderoga. 

5. Schuyler and Gates. 

6. Fort Stanwix; St. Leger; General Herkimer. 

7. Battle of Oriskany. 

8. General Arnold; his ruse. 

9. The " stars and stripes ". 

10. Burgoyne's advance. 

11. Schuyler superseded. 

12. Battle of Bennington, or Hoosic. 



278 



Summary 



[Period YII 



13. Battles of Saratoga, or Bemis Heights and Still- 
water, and surrender of Burgoyne. 

14. Scenes in battles; General Arnold's courage. 

15. Sir Henry Clinton on the Hudson. 

IG. Burning of Kingston; Mrs. Livingston. 

17. Pitt's last appeal. 

18. Battles of Brandywine and Germantown. 

19. The high-tide of the revolution. 




Saratoga Battlefield Monument 



CHAPTER XXXT 
A Year of Trial, 1777-8 

The winter of 1777-8.— The American army of 
the north, now under General Israel Putnam, win- 
tered among the Highlands. The residents of Kings- 
ton who could do so sought shelter among friends in 
neighboring settlements, while others shivered in such 
hovels as their ingenuity could provide. 

The legislature met at Hurley, a little hamlet four 
miles from Kingston, while the petty tyrant, Tryon, 
sent out burning and pillaging expeditions among all 
the settlements wherever a single faithful patriot 
family remained. 

West Point fortified. — It was during this winter 
that under General Putnam's direction, with two feet 
of snow on the ground, the fortifications at West 
Point were erected to take the place of Forts Mont- 
gomery and Clinton, now abandoned. 

Treaty witli France^ 1778. — When the news of 
Saratoga reached England, Lord Chatham once more 
plead for a treaty with the American colonies. " Do it 
before you sleep! " he said. The treaty between 
America and France was signed February (3, 1778. On 
March 13 the fact was announced in parliament. The 
next day the ministry resigned, and again the earl of 
Chatham was asked to organize the government. Lean- 
ing upon the arm of his son, he once more entered 

(279; 



280 France gives her Aid [Period VII 

the house of lords. But now, with France in alh'ance 
with America, he refused to listen to further talk of 
reconciliation. Henceforth, in the few days that re- 
mained to him, he urged the vigorous prosecution of 
the war*. 

New York's first supreme courts 1777.— While 
Bennington and Saratoga and Brandy wine were im- 
pending, on Sept. 9, 1777, New York's first chief jus- 
tice, John Jay, had opened his first court at Kingston. 

In charging the jury he used these memorable words : 
" You will know no power but such as you create, no 
laws but such as acquire their force by your consent. 
The rights of conscience and a private judgment are 
by nature subject to no control but that of Deity, 
and in that free situation they are now left." 

New York's first legislature.— On Oct. 15 Gov- 
ernor Clinton met the first legislature at the same 
place, leaving his command in the army only long 
enough to attend to necessary State business. Only 
a few days later Kingston was burned by General 
Vaughn. Strangely enough the court house in which 
the legislature met was spared and is now the property 
of the State. 

Battle of Moumoutli.— With the opening of 
spring the British army, now under command of Sir 
Henry Clinton, evacuated Philadelphia and began its 
movement toward New York,, followed closely by 

* It is a common mistake to suppose that the treaty 
with France was the result of her friendship for the 
American colonies. So far as France was concerned, 
it was only a blow at her traditional enemy, Great 
Britain. 



1778] Cherry Valley Massacre 281 

WashiQgton. On June 28 the battle of Monmouth 
took place with advantage to the Americans. 

The English armies were now all concentrated in and 
about N^ew York, while the American forces were en- 
camped at different points from Xew Brunswick, X. 
J., to White Plains, N. Y., and operations were for a 
time transferred to Rhode Island. 

Indian troubles, 1778. — New York having been 
overrun by foreign soldiery, was again to experience the 
horrors of savage warfare. Magara was a regular 
English post, but it was also the gathering place for 
refugee tories, hostile Indian tribes and every species 
of vagabond. 

Thither, after St. Leger's defeat, had gone chief 
Brant (see page 175), the notorious Butler, and other 
dependents of the Johnsons ; and there were organized 
those expeditions destined to desolate the State with 
fire and pillage and murder. The Indians were cruel ; 
the tories were pitiless. 

The settlers in the interior were warned, but not too 
soon. In May, Brant desolated Springfield, at the 
head of Otsego lake. Every house was burned. In 
June he was on the Cobleskill with torch and scalping- 
knife. 

The Cherry Talley massacre. — At Cherry Valley 
was a small fort about a church. This was garrisoned 
by a party of continental troops under command of 
Colonel Alden. He was warned, but did not take 
heed. In the early morning of November 11, Butler* 

* This was Walter X. Butler, a tory, — more savage 
than Brant, who often tried to save the lives of women 
and children. 



282 Wyoming Massacre [Period VII 

and his savage followers burst upon the settlement. 
Thirty of the inhabitants and sixteen soldiers were 
murdered, and forty men, women, and children taken 
away into a captivity worse than death. 

The Wyoming massacre. — In the same year But- 
ler led the party that perpetrated the terrible Wyoming 
massacre, — one of the most cruel and blood-thirsty 
tragedies of history*. 

Against such a foe, lurking in the dense forests and 
stealing in the night-time upon defenceless settlements, 
there was no protection. There was enough that was 
sad about the War of the Revolution, but the greatest 
crime of it all was the fact that these atrocities were 
sanctioned and encouraged by King George III, a 
christian monarch. 

As a result of these barbarities the interior settle- 
ments were practically abandoned, and the remaining 
population concentrated in and about the valley of 
the Hudson. 

Results of 1778. — As the year 1778 drew to its 
close, little could be seen to encourage the hearts of 
the patriots. As yet, no real advantage had been 
gained from the French alliance. The internal affiairs 
of the colonies had not improved. Xew York in par- 
ticular was prostrate, for upon her had fallen all the 
disastrous consequences of war. 

* It is claimed that Butler with his Iroquois Indians 
went from Niagara to the headwaters of the Chemung 
river, near the present village of Arkport in Steuben 
county, where they built boats, and floating down the 
Canisteo to the Chemung, entered the Susquehanna 
at Waverly. 



1777] A Gloomy Outlook 283 

On the other hand, England with all her outlay had 
gained only a few insignificant conquests in the south. 
With the coming of the winter of 1778 and 1779, to 
the human eye, the end seemed as distant as it had 
at the beginning. The main body of the American 
army lay at Middlebrook, N^. J., still unpaid, and 
suffering from lack of both food and clothing. 

SUMMARY 

1. West Point. 

2. Treaty with France, 1778; note. 

3. New York's first supreme court and first legisla- 
ture. 

4. Indian troubles of 1778; Springfield, the Cobles- 
kill, Cherry Valley, Wyoming. 

5. Results of campaigns of 1778. 



CHAPTER XXXII 
The Years of Massacres and of Treason, 1779, 1780 

Capture of Stony Pointy 1779. — In the beginning 
of spring a small garrison was at work constructing 
fortifications at Stony Point. It was a position of 
great importance to the American army, for it com- 
manded the principal crossing of the Hudson on the 
only route now open between the eastern States and 
the south, and it was depended on to prevent the passage 
of British ships up the Hudson. Against this post, 

Sir Henry Clinton sailed- 
with an armament in the 
latter part of May. His 
ships, aided by a strong land 
' force, were soon able to re- 
duce the half-finished de- 
fences, which he garrisoned 
and at once proceeded to 
enlarge and complete. It was 
necessary that the position 
ANTHONY Wayne. i745-i79« gj^^^]^ ^^ retaken. For this 

purpose General Anthony Wayne was selected. 

Having perfected his plans and secured Washington's 
approval of them, he prepared, on the 15th of July, 
to make the attack. 

At 8 o'clock in the evening he was within a mile of 
the fort and undiscovered. He then divided his force 

f384) 




1779] Expedition against the Onondaoas 285 

into two columns, leading one himself and placing the 
other in charge of Colonel De Fleury, a Frenchman. 
Muskets were unloaded and bayonets affixed, that in 
the darkness the two parties might not fire on each 
other. From opposite directions the two bands ap- 
proached and were within pistol shot before they were 
discovered. Then there was a cry "To arms!", fol- 
lowed by a rattle of musketry, and a roar of artillery. 
Not one instant did the columns waver. Over the 
ramparts they poured, through a storm of bullets, and 
in a few minutes the fort was won. Of the enemy 60 
fell and 550 surrendered. 

Wayne had not troops sufficient to garrison the 
place, so, removing all the stores and ordnance, he de- 
stroyed the fort and marched away*. 

Expedition against the Onondagas. — Early in 
the year 1779 it was determined to punish and, if pos- 
sible, humble the Iroquois. With the memories of all 
they had suffered from these savages still fresh in their 
minds, the people willingly joined in the expedition 
against them. 

The first movement was against the Onondagas. In 
April, a force left Fort Stanwix and invaded their 
country. The Indians retired westward, and their vil- 
lages in the vicinity of the present site of Syracuse 
were destroyed. This action only served to rouse the 
warriors to still greater resentment. Almost immedi- 
ately 300 braves were on the war-path. They spread 
desolation to the borders of Ulster county and the 

* Wayne sent to Washington only this brief dispatch: 
" The fort is ours. Officers and privates behaved like 
men determined to be free." 




286 Sullivan's CAxMpaign [Period VII 

settlements on the Xeversink river. A small expedi- 
tion sent out against them was defeated and all but 30 
massacred. 

Sullivan's eanipaign^ 1779. — It now became evi- 
dent that more vigorous 
measures must be used, and 
General John Sullivan was 
placed in command of 5,000 
continental soldiers. He en- 
tered upon this campaign in 
August, and on the 29th 
encountered the Indians 
near the present site of El- 
^^^W^5 /^.^**^ mira. The savages were de- 

-loHN SrLLiVAN. 1740-1795 f^^^^^ ^^^ purSUcd Up the 

valley, and past the site of the present village of 
Horseheads*. On Sept. 2 Sullivan burned their vil- 
lage at Catherine's Townf, destroying crops and or- 
chards. A detachment of soldiers was sent up the 
Canisteo and Cohocton valleys to devastate the Indian 
settlements in those localities. 

The Genesee valley devastated. — So energetic 
had been the pursuit that by the middle of Septem- 
ber, General Sullivan and his troops had reached the 
beautiful Genesee valley, then not occupied by a single 

* Some thirty or forty of General Sullivan's worn- 
out horses were shot at this place. The Indians 
gathered the heads and arranged them at the sides of 
the path; hence the name. 

t Captain Montour, son of Queen Catherine, died of 
wounds during this raid, hence the present name 
^'Montour Falls". 



1780] A Year of Massacres 287 

white settler. This was a very paradise to the red 
man. Here were orchards and corn-fields such as the 
Indian had never been supposed to possess. From 
this valley all their supplies were drawn. Under the 
teaching of the French they had acquired a knowledge 
of agriculture almost incredible, and their dwellings 
seemed the homes of civilized men. 

Everything was destroyed. Villages and standing 
corn were burned, orchards were cut down, and the 
Indians were hunted like wild beasts through the 
forests. It was a terrible retribution, and for a time 
the savages were completely subdued; but after recov- 
ering from their first terror they were even more 
ferocious than before. 

Sullivan's campaign through the dense forests of 
southern and western Xew York must rank among the 
greatest enterprises of the revolutionary period. 

The Johnstown raid. — The Iroquois were not de- 
stroyed. Sir John Johnson used the chastisement they 
had received to stir them up to fiercer barbarities. In 
May, 1780, under his leadership and with the aid of a 
few regulars and a band of tories, they again pene- 
trated the region about Johnstown, fell upon the set- 
tlements in the night-time, destroyed every house not 
the home of a tory, and escaped to Canada. 

Canajoharie and Fort Plain. — Other raids fol- 
lowed. In August of this year, 1780, Brant appeared 
once more with 500 Indians and tories. The settle- 
ments at Canajoharie and Fort Plain were ruined. 
Many people were murdered and more than fifty taken 
away as prisoners. . ^ ... 



288 Sir John Johnson [Period VII 

Invasion of the Schoharie valley. — Late in the 
autumn a more extensive expedition was led by Sir 
John Johnson, Joseph Brant, and a Seneca chief 
called Cornplanter. This expedition fell upon the val- 
ley of the Schoharie, the scene of so many massacres. 

It was the middle of October. A bountiful harvest 
had been gathered and the barns were filled. Sir 
John's orders were to sweep the valley to the Mohawk *. 
A small force of continentals under General Robert 
Van Rensselaer was sent in pursuit. On reaching 
Caughnawaga they found it in flames. Colonel Brown, 
with a small detachment met Johnson at Palatine 
Bridge, was defeated, and, with forty of his men, slain. 

The pursuit was continued, but so tardily that once 
more Sir John escaped to Canada with many prisoners 
and a great quantity of plunder. 

Sir John Johnson. — The leading spirit in all these 
cruelties, as we have seen, was Sir John Johnson. His 
association with savage warfare has brought great odi- 
um upon his name. His property and person had been 
respected by General Schuyler in 17T6, when he had 
given his solemn promise not to engage in any further 
enterprises against the people of New York. This 
promise he had broken. Returning from Canada, he 
had led the savages in their raids against the settlers. 
A petty lord among the Indians, he could not bring 
himself to regard the interests of the commonwealth 
in which he had been a voluntary citizen. 



* This, of course, did not include the property of 
tories. Their buildings were spared, but not long after 
they were destroyed by the patriots, in retaliation. 



1780] Treason of Benedict Arnold 289 

Another invasion from Canada, 1780. — While 
the interior of the State had been desolated by these 
raids, Oarleton, from Canada, had again invaded the 
region of Lake Champlain. He captured and destroyed 
Fort George, and sent out marauding parties into all 
that portion of the State. Then, proceeding to Crown 
Point, he landed and took his course toward Schenec- 
tady. He reached Ballston, which he destroyed, but 
from that place he was obliged to turn back. 

Arnold's treason, 1780. — From the beginning of 
the revolution, there had not 
been in the American armies 
another man of a character 
IhH ^^ contradictory as Benedict 

% J^BL Arnold's. Brave to the point 

of rashness, haughty, often 
insubordinate, insensible to 
the claims of gratitude or 
the rules of honor, from 
childhood cruel and revenge- 

Benedict Arnold, 1741 1801 j? i i j. i i i i i -tj. j_ 

lul, he yet had the ability to 
inspire the loftiest patriotism in others, and at times 
exhibited emotions of deepest sympathy for the un- 
fortunate. 

Apparently insensible to fatigue and hunger and 
wounds in the cause of his country, he was still capa- 
ble of trading on all these for a chance of promotion. 
We have seen Arnold at Ticonderoga, at Quebec, Oris- 
kany, Bemis Heights, and Saratoga, — the very incarna- 
tion of fine soldierly qualities. His is the sad story of 
the fall of a brave soldier, a brilliant leader, a trusted 




V: 



290 Treason of Benedict Arnold [Period VII 

general. His character was a strange combination of 
high ambitions and base motives. 

Trusted by Washington, defended when a hot tem- 
per had brought him into disgrace, Arnold was willing 
to involve his best friend in the ruin and fall of the 
country he professed to love. 

On the field at Bemis Heights he had been reproved 
by General Gates for disobedience. He then becanae 
insubordinate; he was deprived of his command and 
afterward court-martialed. 

His reprimand by Wasliiiigtoii. — His sentence 
was that he should be reprimanded by Washington. 
That reprimand, still preserved, shows a deep affec- 
tion for the unhappy recipient, and should have won 
the most obdurate heart. It is worth repeating for 
the insight it gives to the character of W^ashington: 

" Our profession is the chastest of all. The shadow 
of a fault tarnishes our most brilliant actions. The 
least inadvertence may cause us to lose that public 
favor which is so hard to be regained. I reprimand 
you for having forgotten that in proportion as you 
have rendered yourself formidable to our enemies, you 
should have shown moderation toward our citizens. 
Exhibit again those splendid qualities which have 
placed you in the rank of our most distinguished 
generals. As far as it shall be in my power, I will my- 
self furnish you with opportunities for regaining the 
esteem which you have formerly enjoyed." 

Treason long meditated. — Even at that time 
Arnold was, under an assumed name, in secret cor- 
respondence with Sir Henry Clinton; every step he 



1780] Capture of Major Andre 291 

took thereafter had reference to the treason which he 
so nearly consummated. He was already a lost man. 
Complaining that his wounds rendered him unfit for 
active field-service, he asked for and obtained com- 
mand of the small force which took possession of Phila- 
delphia after its evacuation by the English army. 
Here he allied himself by marriage with a tory family, 
and plunged into the most extravagant manner of liv- 
ing; thus to his other troubles adding financial em- 
barrassment. 

Plan of betrayal. — Then it was that he conceived 
the plan of obtaining command at West Point, and 
surrendering that gateway of the Hudson to the 
enemy. To obtain this he resorted to subterfuges 
which deceived AVashington. No sooner was he in 
command than he pushed his treasonable plans with 
an art that would have done credit to Satan. 

Interview with Major Andre.— Soon Arnold and 
Major Andre of the English 
army were in consultation 
within the American lines. 
The exact price of his trea- 
son in cash and titles was 
agreed upon. It was planned 
that under the pretence of 
an anticipated attack, he 
should scatter his garrison 
among the many ravines 
JOHN ANDRE, 1751-1780 ^j^-^j^ surround West Point, 

while the precise routes by which the English forces 
were to advance were also marked out. 




1780] Capture of Major Andre 293 

Writers have often remarked on the shrewdness of the 
plan by which Arnold carried on his correspondence 
with Sir Henry Clinton for a year and a half, while he 
was at the same time employed and trusted in the ser- 
vice of his country. It seemed impossible for the plan 
to miscarry. It was, indeed, worthy of the mind that 
conceived it. 

Strange chain of circumstances. — But the chain 
of circumstances by which it was undone was still 
more remarkable, for the actors in the different parts 
had no connection with or knowledge of each other. 

The ship ^' Vulture^ \ in which Andre had come up 
the river, was driven down stream by a volunteer bat- 
tery on shore, which on that particular morning was in 
the immediate vicinity. This made it necessary for 
Andre to return by land. On the day that he was 
making this return trip, five men had of their own 
free will, agreed to watch the road to prevent their 
neighbors from driving cattle to the New York mar- 
kets to feed the English army, and they took the par- 
ticular road by which Andre was quietly journeying 
toward the English lines. Just as they were about to 
dismiss him, after their self-instituted search, one of 
their number bethought himself to examine Andre's 
stockings, and found the papers. In the general pov- 
erty of those times, it is remarkable that these men 
were in no way influenced by Andre's liberal offers ^of 
British gold. 

The next strange link in the chain is that when they 
had turned their prisoner over to the nearest conti- 
nental officer, he should have been too stolid to com- 



294 Major Andre and Xathan Hale [Period VII 

prehend the case and should have sent Andre back to 
Arnold. 

More remarkable still is the fact that Andre had been 
gone but an hour, when a younger but brighter officer 
chanced to stop at that place and learn the story just 
in time to pursue and bring Andre back. And, 
strangest of all, on that same eventful morning, Wash- 
ington himself reached West Point, on his return from 
Hartford, and soon knew the whole affair. 

Who shall say how much of what men call " chance " 
in this world is a part of those deep designs of Provi- 
dence which guide the affairs of men and of nations. 

Fates of Arnold and Andre. — Arnold escaped — 
if we may call that an escape when a man fails of the 
punishment of his crimes — to live dishonored and die 
at last, detested by all honest men of every nation. 

Andre was tried and sentenced to be hanged as a spy. 
He was a brave man and died as a soldier should. In 
the last hours of his life, he was the recipient of every 
kindness that it was in the power of his captors to 
grant. 

Quite too much sentiment has been wasted on the 
fate of this unhappy man, whose case has often been 
compared to that of Nathan Hale (see page 248). 

Hale took his life in his hands and went out as a spy, 
penetrating the lines of the enemy to obtain needed 
information for his commanding general. 

Andre entered the American lines to negotiate for 
and purchase treason, — a crime against nature. He 
was no ordinary spy. Hale's burial place is unknown, 
but within recent years an American has erected a 



1780] Summary 295 

monument to the memory of Major Andre, whose re- 
mains rest under a handsome monument in Westmins- 
ter Abbey. 

In the chapel at West Point the visitor sees a series 
of mural tablets in memory of the general officers of 
the revolution. One of these is blank. It stands for 
Benedict Arnold, — a suggestion of what he might have 
been, — a type of what he became. 

The contemplated fruits of treason. — It is 

now known why Sir Henry Clinton with his army 
lingered all summer in New York. During those 
months the correspondence with Arnold was going on. 
He hoped by means of it to retrieve at one stroke all 
Burgoyne's disasters and give the death-blow to Ameri- 
can independence. 

SUMMARY 

1. Stony Point and General Wayne, 1779. 

2. Punishment of Onondagas; effect of. 

3. Sullivan's campaign, 1779. 

4. Year of Indian massacres, 1780; Johnstown, 
Canajoharie, Schoharie Valley and the Mohawk. 

5. Sir John Johnson. 

6. Invasion of New York 1780; burning of Balls- 
ton. 

7. Story of Arnold's treason. 

8. Andr6 and Nathan Hale. 

9. West Point chapel. 

10. Sir Henry Clinton and Arnold's treason. 



CHAPTER XXXIII 



Independence Achieved 

The winter of i;80-81.— Of Arnold's treason, 
Washington said little. To one of his most faith- 
ful aides he said, " Whom can we trust now ? " 
Through that memorable autumn he grew more watch- 
ful than ever, kept his small force well in hand, and 
guarded against surprise at every point. 

As winter came on the army again built its log 
huts among the hills and mountains to the west, north 
and east of New York. The soldiers had been 14 
months without pay ; their rations were poor and often 
scant. Some mutinied, but most suffered in silence. 
Congress was powerless, for there were no funds. 

Clearing skies. — In the south. General Greene had 
superseded General Gates, and quickly proved that he 
could out-general Cornwallis. As spring approached, 
the skies began to clear. 





Nathaniel Greene, 1742-1786 Comte de Rochambeau. 1725-1807 

(296) 



1781] The Final Campaig:^^ 297 

French allies. — In May, 1781 Washington held a 
conference at Weathersfield, Connecticut, with Count 
Rochambeau, who had with him at Xewport a division 
of the French army, numbering 6,000. There it was 
agreed to prepare for the siege of Xew York in con- 
cert with the French fleet expected in the summer; 
Avhile their plans also contemplated operations in quite 
another field, should General Clinton pave the way 
for them. 

Sir Henry Clinton became alarmed. Every day he 
saw fresh indications that he was to be attacked. He 
had sent detachments to the assistance of Cornwallis 
in Virginia. These he now began to recall, leaving 
Cornwallis to his fate, precisely as Washington had 
hoped. 

The final campaign^ 1781. — Early in July, Wash- 
ington suddenly concentrated his forces and camped at 
Dobb's Ferry, nearly opposite the Palisades. Shortly 
after, he moved to Kingsbridge, and the French troops 
occupied Dobb's Ferry. Sir Henry now thought he 
understood Washington's plans; demonstrations began 
to be made at various points on his lines. Roads were 
built, camps laid out, ovens constructed, and supplies 
accumulated. An officer with Washington wrote to a 
friend: " Our situation reminds me of a theatrical 
exhibition." 

Surrender of Cornwallis. — So certain had Sir 
Henry Clinton now become, that he directed Cornwallis 
to move to the Virginia capes and await transportation 
to New York, to take part in its defence. Hardly had 
Cornwallis taken this position when Count De Grasse 



298 



Surrender of Coknwallis [Period VII 



with 28 French ships of the line blocked the river, and 
La Fayette moved forward to keep watch over him. 
Cornwallis had called La Fayette a "silly boy". 





Charles Marquis Cornwallis AIarquis de Lafayette, 

1738-1805 1757-1834 

He was now to learn respect for the gallant French- 
man's ability. This was the stage of the game for 
which Washington had been so long waiting, and to- 
ward which all his pretended preparations near New 
York had contributed. 

On Aug. 15 AYashington sent out detachments in 
several directions to keep up the appearance of an in- 
tended attack, while his whole army in two columns 
started with the greatest haste for Virginia. So suc- 
cessful was the ruse, so rapid the march, that he was 
well on his way before General Clinton, shut up in Kew 
York, discovered that he had gone. On August 30, 
Washington was at Philadelphia. On the 9th of Sep- 
tember he visited his home at Mount Vernon, which 
he had not seen in six years, and on the 28th Corn- 
wallis was surrounded. 

By the middle of October he was in despair. On 
the 19th of that month he surrendered to the allied 
French and iVmerican forces. 



1783] Approach of Peace 299 

The news of the surrender.— It seems incredible 
that with the means of communication then in use, 
the news of the great achievement could travel so 
rapidly. In a few days it was known all over the col- 
onies. In a month all Europe had heard of it. 

The British ministry was condemned in the most 
vigorous terms. It was accused of having squandered 
a hundred million pounds to alienate thirteen colonies. 
England demanded peace, but the king was stubborn 
and refused to listen. 

Washington in New York, 1780-83.— Washington 
did not tarry in Virginia. He immediately returned 
to New York and with his army sat down to watch the 
British there. He made his headquarters at Newburg *, 
and his army was encamped between that place and 
New Windsor. Negotiations for peace were soon com- 
menced and while they dragged their weary, diplomatic 
way, a sort of armed truce existed between the two 
hostile camps. 

Sir Henry Clinton was denounced for allowing him- 
self to be outwitted by Washington, and was soon re- 
called. He was succeeded by Sir Guy Carleton, a wise 
and humane officer. One of his first acts was the 
release of every American then confined in the prisons 
about New York. He soon announced that he had 
" come to conciliate, not to fight ". 

Tryon's raids upon the defenceless settlers ceased, 
and hope revived in the hearts of the people. 

* Newburg contains many interesting mementoes 
of Washington and the Revolution. The house which 
he used is still preserved and belongs to the State. It 
is kept in repair, and is used as a museum of revolu- 
tionary relics. 



300 Proposal of a Monarchy [Period YII 

A monarchy proposed. — But the troubles of the 
colonies were not all at an end. Dissatisfaction with 
congress was expressed everywhere. Complaints were 
loud among the soldiers encamped along the Hudson. 
Many of them were destitute, weary of the w^ar, and 
large numbers were suffering from sickness and half- 
healed wounds. 

Then it was that Colonel Xicola of a Pennsylvania 
regiment wrote his famous letter to General Washing- 
ton, proposing that he should take possession of the 
government, set himself up as king, and right the 
wrongs of the army. There was at that time nothing 
in the proposition to startle men. The confederation 
was an acknowledged failure. Eepublics were almost 
unknown. Washington's sharp, sorrowful rebuke 
closed this incident immediately. 

The NeAvbiirg address^ 1783. — A more serious 
matter now arose. Major 
John Armstrong^, who be- 
longed to General Gates's 
staff, wrote an annoymous 
" address " which was quietly 
circulated through the army. 
This professed to come from 
a disabled veteran. It advised 
the men to take matters into 
their own hands and compel 

JOHN ARMSTRONG. 1758-1843 congress to do justice to the 
army. It cast a reflection upon Washington by advis- 

* Afterward minister to France (1803-1810), and 
secretary of war under Madison. 




1783] Evacuation of Xew York 301 

ing soldiers " to suspect a man who in those times ad- 
vocated conciliatory measures". With it was a pro- 
posal for a meeting of officers to consider the question. 

In a meeting of general officers which Washington 
called March 19, 1783, he carefully reviewed the entire 
subject in a most patriotic spirit, and immediately left 
the room. The officers condemned the "address" 
and commended the course Washington had taken. 

The fact was, congress was bankrupt. The army 
could not be paid for there were no revenues*. The 
States were so many independent republics, which could 
not be compelled to put money into a national treas- 
ury. Indeed, the treasuries of most of the States 
were empty. 

Disbanding the army^ 1783. — In a few weeks 
Washington began to disband the continental army. 
He issued long furloughs to those men who had enlisted 
for the war, and they were not required to return. On 
Sept. 3, 1783, a treaty of peace was signed at Paris, 
and on Oct. 18 congress, by proclamation, discharged 
the soldiers of the army. 

Evacuation of New York. — The date fixed for the 
evacuation of Xew York by the English was Xov. 25, 
1783, — a day which has since that time been known as 
" evacuation day ". 

Early in the morning, Washington and his staff, ac- 
companied by Governor Clinton and the remnant of 
the American army, appeared at the head of Bowery 
Lane. There they halted until noon. The English at 

* There was a foreign debt of eight million dollars 
and a domestic debt of thirty millions. 



302 Washington's Farewell [Period VII 

that hour had formed at the water's edge, ready for 
embarkation. The Americans now marched into N^ew 
York city. The military took possession of Fort 
George at the foot of Broadway, and the governor 
with the civil officers entered the city hall and there 
established the civil government of the State of New 
York. 

Washington's farewell. — All necessary prepara- 
tions having been made, on Dec. 4, Washington called 
his faithful officers about him, and bade them an affec- 
tionate farewell. From Xew York he went at once to 
Annapolis, where the continental congress was in ses- 
sion, and on Dec. 23, 1783, he resigned his commission 
as commander-in-chief of the American armies. From 
Annapolis he departed for his home at Mount Yernon, 
which, eight years before he had left to take command 
of the army at Boston*. 

SUMMARY 

1. The winter of 1780-81. 

2. Weathersfield conference ; plans laid. 

3. Effect on Clinton; his action. 

4. The final campaign; the New York ruse; the 
race for Virginia. 

5. Cornwallis taken. 

6. Washington in Xew York. 

7. Colonel Nicola's proposition. 

* About this time the " Society of Cincinnati" was 
formed among Washington's officers. Its purpose was 
to promote friendship among themselves and to extend 
aid to any who might be in want. Its charter made 
only the eldest male descendant eligible to membership. 



1783] Summary 303 

8. The Newburg address. 

9. The army disbanded. 

10. Evacuation of ^ew York. 

11. Washington's farewell ; the Cincinnati. 



CHAPTER XXXIV 

Xew York's Share ij*^ the Revolutiox 

Counting the cost. — The war was over. Its cost 
to the States in men and treasure had been immense. 
Xew York, alone, from her population of not more 
than 235,000 had furnished 41,633 men to the patriot 
army, and had paid into the general treasury 17,900,- 
000. She had done this while her chief city, Xew 
Y^ork, and all Long Island had been in the hands of 
the enemy. Within her borders had been fought a 
great number of the serious battles of the war, in 
many of which her militia had won the chief honors. 

Upon her had fallen the bitter experiences of savage 
warfare. Y^ear by year, the most fertile portions of 
the State had been swept bare by Indian raids and her 
most prosperous settlements destroyed. Her people 
were poor; all her industries were paralyzed; immi- 
gration had ceased. She was an independent common- 
wealth, but possessed no treasury and had no revenues. 

Her migratory legislature had returned to Xew York 
city, one-half of which was in ruins. The great bay 
contained not one American ship. The rotten wharves 
were vacant; the warehouses empty. Independence 
had been gained, but with it had come poverty, dis- 
tress, and debt. 

Xo other State had so completely met all the re- 
quirements of congress, and to no other State was the 
return of peace so welcome. 

(304) 



1783] The Tories 305 

The tories. — War usually leaves its animosities, 
and the revolution was no exception. Especially was 
this true in New York city, where toryism had been 
fostered by British occupancy during almost the entire 
period of the war. New York had become a place of 
refuge for the tories of every State, and their spirit 
had penetrated all classes, from the baronial patroon 
to the humblest laborer. Here patriots had been 
driven from their homes and their property had been 
seized and occupied for military purposes. 

Many of the tories, while their neighbors were starv- 
ing outside the English lines, had lived at ease and 
grown rich by trade. 

Outside the city there were whole counties where the 
name tory was synonymous with Indian and was always 
associated with massacre and pillage. 

Retaliation proposed. — There was a large and in- 
fluential body of citizens who insisted that every tory 
should be driven from the State. The day of retri- 
bution, they said, had come. The legislature had 
hardly assembled before a memorial signed by many 
men of the best character was presented. It stated 
that the signers had just returned to their homes after 
n long, enforced absence, to take possession of the lit- 
tle that was left them. Here they found men who, in 
the long struggle, had made every effort to prevent 
independence ; men who had grown fat on the miseries 
of their country. 

It was proposed that the governors of the different 
States should make and exchange lists of proscribed 
persons, that they might find no rest for the soles of 
their feet in any State. 



306 Close of the Revolution [Period VII 

A "trespass bill" was passed. This gave to the 
owner of a house the power to collect damages from 
any man who in the owner's enforced absence had 
occupied it. 

Time at last brought its remedy. Gradually the 
tories returned to their homes, and other matters 
absorbed public attention. 

New York at the close of the revolution. — New 
York v**as now the fifth State in population. Xew 
York city contained about 24,000 inhabitants. Long 
Island had nearly 31,000, and the whole State about 
234,000. Virginia had twice as many; Pennsylvania, 
Xorth Carolina, and Massachusetts also exceeded Xew 
York in population. The settlements were confined 
chiefly to Long Island, Staten Island, Manhattan 
Island, and the banks of the Hudson and Mohawk 
rivers and the streams flowing into them. 

New York city. — In Xew York city, the Dutch 
element exceeded the English, and the Dutch language 
was to some extent spoken. 

New York city lay between the fort (battery) on the 
south, Anthony street on the north, Rutgers on the 
east, and Harrison on the west. 

This section was then occupied not only by business 
places, but by residences also, — the latter often sur- 
rounded by extensive gardens. Where is now the city 
hall park was a common, called the "flat", or the 
"fields", where public out-door meetings were held. 

North of this was a fresh-water pond, where boys 
fished in summer and skated in winter. To the east 
lay Beekman's swamp, at high-tide often covered with 
water. Above Anthony street, Broadway was a coun- 



1783] New York Cities ii^ 17S3 307 

try road. They were few paved streets, and these were 
so rough as to be barely passable. 

In the State at large. — Kingston had been de- 
stroyed; Poughkeepsie was a thriving village; New- 
burg had a few houses cl iistered about a tavern. Hud- 
son was a farm. Troy was a little village, the home of 
the Van Rensselaers. Albany was the second city in the 
State, and the sixth in the country, and there Dutch 
names and Dutch customs lingered longest. Beyond, 
to the north and west, the country was for the most 
part a wilderness. 

Oswego was a military post, the extreme western 
frontier. Where Rochester and Syracuse now standi 
deer browsed unmolested except by the Indian hunter. 
On the present site of the city of Buffalo stood a single 
log store for trade with the Indians, — the property of 
a Hudson river Dutchman, Cornelias Winney. Along 
the "southern tier" there were very few settlements 
west of the Hudson. 

The homes of the people.— New York city was 
then as since the home of many wealthy families, and 
there was little attempt to cultivate in these homes, 
the virtue of " American simplicity ". Europeans who 
visited New York had occasion to remark on the "ele- 
gant style " in which people whom they met were living. 

Classes of society. — There were three very distinct 
orders of society, and these did not commingle. Those 
in any way connected with the government constituted 
a class by themselves. The trades people made a sort 
of middle aristocracy, while below these were the 
people who earned their living by any sort of manual 
labor. 



308 Classes of Society [Period VII 

The ruling class lived in luxury, the trades people 
in comfort, the laborers in poverty. 

In the homes of the first could be found imported 
furniture, Delft-ware and silver-plate. The middle 
class used furniture of domestic manufacture, were 
glad of a little wedgewood ware for special occasions, 
and could polish up their pewter plates and tankards 
until they rivalled the best silver-ware. 

The lot of the laboring man was a hard one ; yet 
having never known any other, and being equally with- 
out the hope of anything better, he did not often com- 
plain. His wages were not more than two shillings a 
day, and only by the closest economy could he keep 
his family together. His sons were usually appren- 
ticed, early, to some trade. His daughters went out 
to service. By his side walked two spectres; one was 
the fear that he might be called from earth before his 
children were grown, for there were then no orphan 
asylums; the other that he might meet with some 
accident that would incapacitate him for labor, when 
it was the custom, as soon as he recovered, to throw 
him into prison as a debtor. 

SUMMARY 

1. Cost of the war. 

2. The tories. 

3. The trespass bill. 

4. New York at the close of the revolution. 

5. Homes of the people. 

6. Classes of citizens. 



CHAPTER XXXV 

Problems of Government 

Four problems. — The legislature of Xew York 
found itself face to face with several grave problems, 
which demanded immediate settlement: 

1. New York must make treaties with other States 
and settle at once her old boundary disputes. 

2. Certain Indian titles must be extinguished and 
vacant lands opened to settlement. 

3. Congress had asked the States to vest in that body 
all power to collect duties on imports, as a means of 
paying the national war debt. A large share of these 
duties would come from New Y'ork, and were needed 
to pay the State's own obligations. 

4. With these came, almost immediately, the ques- 
tion of abandoning the "confederation" and forming 
" a more permanent union " under a new national 
constitution. 

New York's claim to Vermont. — The dispute with 
New Hampshire was an old one, — going back to 1760. 
During the colonial wars a military road had been 
opened from New Hampshire to Crown Point. This 
road crossed the present State of Vermont from south- 
east to north-west, and in 1761 speculators began to 
turn their attention to the lands through which it 
passed. The governor of New Hampshire ordered a 

(309) 



310 Xew York's Claim to Vermont [Period VII 

survey to be made, laying out townships on both sides 
of the Connecticut river, and claiming the land to 
Lake Champlain. But Xew York also claimed east- 
ward to the Connecticut river. Settlers from Xew 
Hampshire took titles from that State and located on 
these lands. Settlers from Xew York armed with 
deeds from their State did the same, and soon it was 
discovered that these deeds and grants often conveyed 
the same territory. Troubles ensued; proclamations 
and counter-proclamations were issued by the gover- 
nors, each warning settlers from the other State to 
vacate. 

Xew York sent land agents to drive settlers from 
the Xew Hampshire grants, and in 1779, Ethan Allen 
organized his " Green Mountain Boys " to resist these 
agents. 

Then Xew York appealed to the king, who con- 
firmed her claim, but ordered that no more grants be 
given in the disputed territory. 

The revolutionary war interrupted, but did not ad- 
just this controversy. The matter went to congress in 
1777; and that body by special legislation decided that 
the territory of Vermont "be ranked among the free 
and independent States, and that delegates therefrom 
be admitted to congress." 

This did not satisfy Xew York, and her legislature 
passed a series of "resolutions" condemning the 
" resolutions of congress". 

Termont relinquished. — AYashington, seeing that 
this dispute was interfering with military operations, 
proposed that the matter be concluded at once, but no 



1786] Phelps and Gorham Purchase 311 

agreement was reached until 1787, when the questions 
in controversy were submitted to commissioners ap- 
pointed by the two States. 

New York then relinquished her claims on the pay- 
ment of $30,000, and in 1791 Vermont was recognized 
as a "free and independent State" and admitted to 
the union. 

Massachusetts claim settled.— The charter which 
Massachusetts received in 1629, like those given to 
most of the early colonies, conveyed the lands within 
certain prescribed north and south limits, — "west to 
the South Sea ", or Pacific Ocean. 

On this ground Massachusetts laid claim to a large 
part of the soil within the limits of New York. Thi& 
claim was adjusted by a convention held at Hartford,, 
Conn., in December, 1786, when New York agreed to 
cede to Massachusetts "those lands lying west of a 
line drawn from Sodus Bay through Seneca lake to the 
north line of Pennsylvania; and also a smaller tract 
lying between the Chenango river and Owego creek in 
the counties of Broome and Tioga", — ^New York re- 
taining "government, sovereignty and jurisdiction " 
over the same. 

This was indeed a very large concession, but it made 
little difference to New York. Her revenues have not 
been derived from the sale of wild lands, but from the 
wealth of her prosperous citizens. 

The Phelps and Oorham purchase. — James Mc- 
Cauley, in his " History of New York ", published in 
1829, quaintly says of this transaction: " This cession, 



312 Indian Titles [Period VII 

embracing about 10,000 square miles, was made to 
quiet, or put at rest, certain antiquated claims set up by 
Massachusetts to certain lands in New York. These 
claims were supported by an antiquated charter, which 
never had any validity. The government of Massa- 
chusetts sold the first tract to Oliver Phelps and Na- 
thaniel Gorham for $1,000,000*, and the second to 
John Brown and others for $3,300 (and some cents). 
This much at present concerning lands trifled away 
without any equivalent, so much as a beaver skin." 

Indian titles. — A treaty of peace was negotiated 
with the Six Nations at Fort Stanwix (Rome) October, 
1784. This was done by a commission appointed by 
the United States. At this conference Red Jacket, 
the great Seneca chief and orator, appeared in opposi- 
tion to the treaty. The Six Nations were guaranteed 
peaceable possession of their lands east of Buffalo, 
which was fixed as their w^estern limit. Into these 
lands the settlers soon began to pour. The purchasers 
of the lands ceded to Massachusetts had been required 
to extinguish the Indian titles, prior to settlement. 

Purchase of Indian titles. — In May, 1786, the 
legislature of New York passed "An act for the speedy 
sale of the unappropriated lands within the State ". 
This seems to have been done for the benefit of specu- 
lators, and at the same time to shirk the responsibility 
of the Indian titles; for these lands were sold in large 

* Phelps and Gorham failed in payment, took a 
smaller tract in settlement and the remainder was sub- 
sequently sold to other parties, —the Holland company 
purchasing 3,600,000 acres. 



1786] Indian Titles 313 

tracts to men who subsequently sub-divided and sold 
the same to actual settlers. 

These tracts were purchased at a price so low that 
the owners could easily afford afterward to satisfy 
the Indians. Gradually the State purchased the In- 
dian titles to all unsold lands, leaving to them certain 
reservations, paying them a purchase price agreed up- 
on, and granting them an annuity thereafter. At the 
close of the revolution the Mohawks fled to Canada 
and received no reservation, but in 1797 were paid 
$1,600 for all their claims. 

SUMMARY 

1. Four problems. 

2. Xew York's claim to Vermont. 

3. Claim of Massachusetts; settlement. 

4. Phelps and Gorham purchase; Holland land com- 
pany. 

5. Indian titles; treaty of Fort Stanwix. 

6. Sale of public lands. 

7. The Mohawks. 



PERIOD VIII 
UNDER THE CONSTITUTION 



CHAPTER XXXVI 

Adoption of the Constitution 

Need of a National Government. — In 1786 New 
York had not yet acceded to the request of congress 
to vest in that body the power to collect duties on its 
imports. 

Congress now asked Governor Clinton to call a 
special session of the legislature to consider this im- 
portant question. This the governor refused to do. 
What could more clearly demonstrate the weakness, 
the entire impotence of the confederation, than the 
spectacle of a national government begging a State to 
take some action to protect the national credit! On 
this question there was much discussion. One party 
insisted that New York could not afford to surrender 
its only source of revenue; that it would lead to smug- 
gling and that it was dangerous to entrust congress 
with any further powers. 

The other party argued, justly, that since the State 
must help to support the general government, it might 
as well be done in this way as in any other ; that duties 
in all American ports should be uniform, and that 
there was no other way in which this could be accom- 
plished; that congress could as easily prevent smug- 
gling as could the State ; and they laughed, as well 

(314) 



1786] Government WITHOUT Central Authority 315 

they might, at the danger of congressional powers *. 

The Xew York chamber of commerce sent in a 
memorial, showing the folly of a system which gave 
to congress the power of making treaties, but took 
from it the power to carry out those treaties. 

The merchants favored the measure ; the farmers and 
mechanics opposed it. The "request" was never 
granted; and fortunately, for its failure made still 
more apparent the necessity for a stronger national 
government and led to the adopton of the new con- 
stitution. 

(government during the revolution. — It is diffi- 
cult to conceive of a more shadowy and unsatisfactory 
form of government (if government it can be called 
where there was no authority) than that under which 
the colonies existed during the whole period of the 
revolution. So early as 1754 a union had been pro- 
posed, but in 1773 the feeling that the colonies must 
unite became general, and in 1774 this took form in 
the first continental congress. See page 217. 

In 1775, Benjamin Franklin, who had long been an 
advocate of colonial union, laid before congress a plan 
for a " perpetual confederation " of the States. 

Congress was engrossed with other affairs and took 
no action. In the absence of any actual authority, 
that body began to exercise legislative functions ; yet 
any of its acts could be and frequently were absolutely 
ignored by the various State legislatures. 

In June, 1776, a committee was appointed to prepare 

* See McMaster's History of the People of the 
United States. 



310 Articles of Confederation [Period VIII 

a plan for confederation. This committee reported 
but no immediate action was taken. Meanwhile the 
power of Great Britain had been overthrown in all the 
colonies, and they had adopted independent State con- 
stitutions; this rendered the proposed union much 
easier of accomplishment. 

Articles of conrederatiou. — Finally, on November 
loth, 1777, congress adopted the proposed " articles of 
confederation ", and sent them out to the States for 
ratification. Xew York adopted them in the following 
February, 1778; but it was not until July that they 
were accepted by a requisite number of States*. 

These " articles " recognized the independence of 
the several States, except in the matter of declaring 
war or making peace; the regulation of foreign inter- 
course; receiving and sending ambassadors; the coin- 
age of money; the settlement of boundaries, and the 
care of the public domain. 

There was no chief magistrate, no national judiciary; 
and the consent of nine States was necessary to every 
act of legislation, — each State having une vote. 

In congress there was bat one house; and to this 
each State could send as many " delegates "as it 
chose; it could also fix the time of their election and 
term of service. The time had come when, if ever, 
the form of government must be changed. 

* The chief controversy was over the surrender of 
title to western lands. Xew York had bought Indian 
titles to lands in the Ohio valley. She was the first 
State to make this surrender (see McMaster's U. S. 
History). 



1786] The Philadelphia Constitution 317 

The Annapolis convention, 1786.— At the request 
of Washington, a convention met at Annapolis in Sep- 
tember, 1786, to consider amendments to the articles 
of confederation. Five States only responded. JS^othing 
came of this convention except the call for another to 
meet at Philadelphia in May, 1787. To this conven- 
tion, 80 famous in our national history, NewYork sent 
Robert Yates, John Lansing, Jr., and Alexander Ham- 
ilton. But thirty years of age, Hamilton quickly be- 
came prominent in the convention over which Wash- 
ington presided, and he was foremost among those 
who advocated the adoption of the new constitution. 
The session lasted from May until September, 1787, 
when the articles of confederation had been abandoned 
and a permanent constitution prepared. 

Objections to the constitution. — From the first it 
was evident that the federal constitution could not be 
carried without a struggle. Among its advocates in 
New York, besides Alexander Hamilton, were Chief- 
Justice Jay, Eichard Morris, Chancellor Robert R. 
Livingston, and Mayor James Duane of Xew York 
city. Its opponents included Governor Clinton, Rob- 
ert Yates, John Lansing, jr., and Melancthon Smith; 
all were of great ability and of wide influence. 

Through the "Federalist" Hamilton, Jay, and 
Madison placed before the people what their prophetic 
eyes could see as the future of New York, when she 
should become a part of a strong, federal union. What 
then seemed a dim prophecy, we can now see was un- 
alterable destiny. 

The chief objections to the constitution were these: 

(1) The enormous powers it gave to the president. 



318 Xew York accepts Constitution [Period VIII 

(2) The length of his term of office. 

(3) The equal representation of the States, large 
and small, in the senate. 

(4) The surrender of ^ew York's import duties to 
the national treasury. 

(5) The absorption of many former functions of 
State government by congress, and the danger that a 
government with such wide powers might destroy the 
very liberties which had just been acquired. 

The advocates of the new constitution argued that 
the weakness of the present government had been 
demonstrated; that only a strong federation could 
stand. They ridiculed the supposed dangers of a gov- 
ernment, every member of which was elected by the 
people and answerable to them for a faithful per- 
formance of duty. 

Federalists and anti-federalists. — With the ques- 
tion of adopting or rejecting the proposed constitu- 
tion came a political revolution. 

Old parties disappeared. One question absorbed 
public attention: "Shall Xew York adopt the pro- 
posed constitution?" Those who favored it were 
*' federalists"; those who opposed it became "anti- 
federalists". These two parties remained and strove 
with each other years after the new constitution had 
justified the wisdom of the men who framed it. 

New York accepts the constitution. — In the Xew 

York legislature, January, 1788, Egbert Benson moved 
a State convention to consider the new national con- 
stitution. This convention met at Poughkeepsie, June 



1788] New York accepts Constitution^ 319 

17, 1788. It contained 64 delegates*, and was pre- 
sided over by Governor Clinton. 

The debate lasted until July 11, when, just as a vote 
was to be taken with the probability of failure, news 
was received that enough States had already ratified 
the constitution to make its adoption certain. 

This produced a sensation. The question now was, 
*' Shall New York adopt or secede from the confedera- 
tion?" The resolution was changed to read, "Re- 
solved that the constitution be ratified, in full confi- 
dence that the amendments proposed by this conven- 
tion will be adopted." On this resolution, Alexander 
Hamilton made the greatest speech of his life, and on 
July 26 the vote was taken. The result was very 
close; 30 for and 27 against, seven not voting. In his 
address to the legislature in December, Governor Clin- 
ton used the following language in regard to the action 
of New York : 

" It (the constitution) was assented to in the express 
confidence that the exercise of different powers would 
be suspended until it should undergo a revision by a 
general convention of the States." 

At the first session of the first congress, amendments 
were proposed which substantially removed the objec- 
tions raised by the New York convention. 

Ten of these amendments were ratified by the New 
York legislature, March 27, 1790, and the eleventh, 
Sept. 21, 1791, thus apparently justifying New York's 
objection f. 

* See New York Civil List, 1881. 
t See amendments to the constitution, I-XI, North- 
am's Civil Government, pp. 146-148. 



320 Summary [Period VIII 

With the gravest questions it ever had to meet wisely 
settled, Xew York was now ready to undertake matters 
more immediately pertaining to her own future growth 
and development. 

SUMMARY 

1. Question of surrendering the revenues; argu- 
ments for and against. 

2. Government during the revolution; Franklin's 
plan. 

3. Articles of confederation. 

4. Xew York adoption of the articles of coufedera- 
tion. 

5. The convention of 1787; Xew York's delegation. 

6. Leading advocates of new constitution. 

7. Leading opponents of new constitution. 

8. Writers of " The Federalist". 

9. Objections to constitution. 

10. Arguments for adoption. 

11. The two parties; federalists and anti-federalists. 

12. The constitution before the New York legisla- 
ture, 1788. 




CHAPTER XXXVII 

The New Government, 1788 

Election of representatives. — Having accepted 
the new national constitu- 
tion, Xew York's next step 
was to carry out' its provis- 
ions. Accordingly, on Dec. 
8, 1788, the State legislature 
directed the election, by the 
people', of representatives to 
congress. 

These first representatives 
were Egbert Benson, William 

Egbert Benson, 1746-1833 ^d i t i i-r ^ i ^ 

Eloyd, John Hathorn, Jere- 
miah Van Rensselaer, and Peter Sylvester. 

New York was not represented in the national senate 
during the first session of the 
first congress. In a special 
session of the legislature con- 
vened July 19th, General 
Philip Schuyler and Rufus 
King were chosen as New 
York's first senators. The 
State's delegation in each 
house was a strong one. 
Benson had been New York's 
RUFUS KiNa, 1755-1827 ^^^^ attomcy-general, a mem- 

ber of the revolutionary "committee of safety", and 

(331) 




322 The fikst Coxgress [Period VIII 

subsequently a member of the State legislature, and 
member of the continental congress. 

William Floyd had been one of New York's signers 
of the Declaration of Independence. John Hathorn 
had done distinguished service in the revolution, and 
Van Rensselaer was of the patroon's family and had 
been lieutenant-governor of the State. 

The first president of the United States. — 

There had been but one man 
named for the first president 
of the United States, that 
was " The first man of his 
times" — General George 
Washington. John Adams 
v/as chosen vice-president. 

The first congress.— The 
old continental congress had 
George washT^ton. 1732-1799 decided that Ncw York city 

President, 1789^1797 should be the first SCat of the 

new national government*. For this there were abun- 
dant reasons, but the one which had greatest weight 
was its central position in the new republic. 

Congress was to meet on March 4, 1789, in the city 
hall on Wall street. Xew Yorkers for a time, forgot 
all their differences in an effort to give the new govern- 
ment a royal welcome. 

Owing to the dreadful condition of the roads at that 
time of year, only a few members were present at the 

* In 1790 congress removed to Philadelphia, and in 
1799 to Washington. 




1789] Inauguration of Washington 323 

time set for the meeting of congress. Days, even 
weeks, passed while they straggled in. 

The vice-president, coming only from Massachusetts, 
was able to reach New York on April 21, but Washing- 
ton did not arrive until the 23d. His journey had been 
hindered, not only by the almost impassable roads, but 
by the ovations which met him at every town through 
which he passed. 

Imagine the Father of his Country, the president of 
the United States, riding on horseback a large part of 
the distance from the Potomac to Xew York city in 
the month of April ! 

Inauguration of Washington. — On April 30, 
1789 religious services were held in all the churches. 

Washington was escorted from the presidential man- 
sion on Cherry street to the city hall, where, in full 
view of a great throng, Robert R. Livingston, first chan- 
cellor of the State of New York, administered the oath 
of office to the first president of the United States. 
Then, entering the senate chamber, Washington read 
his inaugural address, after which the whole assembly 
went on foot to St. Paul's chapel, Broadway, where 
prayers for the new government were read by the chap- 
lain. So becomingly simple were the ceremonies which 
ushered in the republic of the United States of America. 

It was auspicious that this ceremony should take 
place within the bounds of a State destined to lead all 
the others in wealth, in population, in commerce, and 
in national influence. 

Naturally, General Schuyler, John Jay, and Alexan- 
der Hamilton had great influence with Washington, 
and New York was well represented in the govern- 



324 Internal Improvements [Period VIII 

ment. John Jay was made chief justice, and Alexan- 
der Hamilton became secretary of the treasury. 

Internal improvements. — New roads now began 
to be opened through the State in every direction; 
some of them at the expense of the State; many 
by land proprietors, others by emigrants that they 
might reach lands which they had selected. The 
difficulty of getting the products of far away settle- 
ments to the markets of Xew York and other sea-port 
towns, and of taking to these settlements in return the 
supplies they needed, turned men's thoughts toward 
improved methods of communication through the State. 

Internal navigation. — In 1784 Christopher Colles* 
brought before the State 
legislature a proposition to 
improve the navigation of 
the Mohawk, but the matter 
excited very little interest. 
Later, Elkanah Watson 
visited many sections of 
the State and studied the 
problem. The result was 
the chartering in 1792 of 
CHRiBTOPHEKCoLLEs, 1738-1816 ^^^ ''inlaud Lock IS^aviga- 

tion " companies. These organizations actually began 
work at Little Falls and Stillwater in the spring of 
1793, and in 1796 boats passed from the Mohawk river 

* Christopher Colles, born in Ireland in 1738, was an 
engineer, and the first to propose a plan to supply Xew 
York with pure water. See Magazine of American 
History. 




1788] Summary 325 

to Oneida lake. Such was the beginning which, six- 
teen years later, led to the construction of the Erie 
canal. 

SUMMARY 

1. l^ew York's first delegation in congress. 

2. First presidential election, 1788. 

3. Inauguration of Washington, 1789. 

4. Xeed of internal improvements. 

5. First movements toward canals. 



CHAPTER XXXVIII 
New York makes Substantial Growth 

Re-election of Clinton and Wasliington. — X^ew 
York politics are frequently murky in our times; they 
were not less so in 1792. The opposing candidates 
for governor were George Clinton and John Jay. The 
contest was bitter. Decent men would now cry out 
against the obloquy heaped upon both candidates, and 
the methods resorted to by the adherents of each would 
invalidate any election of to-day. The vote of whole 
counties was thrown out with no investigation. Gov- 
ernor Clinton was declared re-elected by a bare major- 
ity of 103. 

In the same year recurred the presidential election. 
Washington was again the unanimous choice of the 
people. Xew York came forward with two candidates 
in opposition to Mr. Adams; these were Governor 
Clinton and Aaron Burr Mr. Adams was re-elected. 

New York polities in 1792. — The anti-federalists 
had now become republicans, and the French revolu- 
tion was to be an issue in Xew York. Naturally sym- 
pathy for France, our faithful ally, was intense, but 
when the Jacobins resorted to shocking excesses, and 
finally drove La Fayette from his country, the eyes of 
many Americans were opened. 

They saw that what in France was called a republic, 

(326) 



1793] The French Revolution 327 

was really anarchy, and they withdrew their support. 
This was the attitude of most of the federalists. 

The republicans or anti-federalists as a rule, warmly 
espoused the cause of the French revolutionists for 
two reasons: they had, it was claimed, set up a repub- 
lic ; and they had gone to war with England. It mat- 
tered not that complete and terrible disorder had taken 
the place of all government, nor that the guillotine 
daily claimed a hundred victims. That France was at 
war with England was accepted as proof that France 
was in the right. 

Washington had promptly issued a proclamation of 
neutrality, and was condemned for it in unmeasured 
terms by the republicans. 

''^Citizen" Genet.— In the spring of 1793 there 
came to the United States a representative from this 
"reign of terror" calling itself a government, one 
Edmund Genet, — " Citizen" Genet he was called, out 
of respect to the fanatacism which he represented. 
He landed at Charleston, S. C. He did not wait to 
present his credentials to Washington, but began at 
once to fit out privateers against England. As he 
travelled toward the seat of government, he was every- 
where received with all the honors of a potentate, and 
he did not fail to use these occasions to stir up a feel- 
ing against both Washington and Great Britain. 

At last he reached Philadelphia and tardily presented 
his credentials to the president. Even in that day of 
slow-traveling news, his reputation had preceded him. 

The reception Genet received from Washington can 
easily be imagined. He retired from that dignified 



328 Feeling TOWARD England [Period VIII 

presence with much less assurance than he had borne 
to it. He had received the rebuke he deserved. 
Genet's mission would not be worth our mention, had 
he not succeeded in exciting a quarrel in Xew York 
which rankled for many years, and very nearly involved 
the United States in another war with England. 

Jolin Jay elected governor of New York, 1795. 

— George Clinton had now 
served his State as governor 
continuously since 1777, 
and in 1795 both he and 
Lieutenant-Governor Van 
Oortlandt declined to be 
candidates for re-election. 
The federalists were in 
control of the State gov- 
ernment, and John Jay was 

John Jay. 1745-1829 i ^. a 

Governor. 1795-1701 elected. 

The English treaty. — When the election for gov- 
ernor took place, Mr. Jay was absent from the country. 
England had never fulfilled all the stipulations of the 
treaty of 1783, and on this ground the republicans 
were doing what lay in their power to bring about a 
rupture in the interests of France. In the hope that 
a peaceful solution of the difficulty might be found, 
the president had sent John Jay to England to negoti- 
ate a new treaty. A month after his election as gov- 
ernor, Mr. Jay returned, bearing the treaty. Immedi- 
ately, even before its nature was known, he became the 
object of most outrageous attacks. He was denounced 




1795] The Bowling Green Meeting 329 

as "traitor", and, what was by the republicans ac- 
counted an equal crime, he was called an aristocrat. 

Mr. Jay was even accused of selling his country, and 
was hanged and burned in effigy by his fellow citizens. 

The Bowling Green meeting^ 1795. — One of the 

most shameful scenes that ever disgraced New York 
politics occurred at Bowling Green in 1795. A notice 
was circulated asking " all good citizens " to assemble 
at Federal hall. A copy of the treaty so recently 
secured by Mr. Jay had been obtained. The federal- 
ists saw no treason in it; the republicans denounced it 
as "a most shameful concession to England." "No 
time" they said "must be lost. The president may 
sign it any hour." 

One citizen suggested that a public meeting was 
hardly the place to discuss a treaty. He was allowed 
to proceed no farther. Alexander Hamilton attempted 
to speak but was stoned. With his face streaming 
with blood, he called upon his friends to leave the 
meeting. 

The assembly was now in the hands of the republi- 
cans, led by Burr and the Livingstons. It soon became 
a roaring mob, and adjourned to Bowling Green, where 
they burned the treaty and shouted themselves hoarse 
with epithets directed at Mr. Jay and his work. These 
troubles were the direct fruit of the intrigues of Citi- 
zen Genet, whom all finally came to see in his true 
character, the representative of an attempt to throw 
off all government. 

Adams and Jefferson, 1797-1801.— Washington, 
having determined to retire from public life declined a 



1801] Continental and State Money 331 

re-nomination. New York decided the election for 




John Adams, 1735-1826 
President, 1797-1801 



Thomas Jepfekson, 1743-1826 
President, 1801-1809 



president by casting her vote for Mr. Adams, while 
Thomas Jefferson (republican) became vice-president*. 

The State legislature at Albany. — With its 

twentieth session, the legislature removed to Albany 
at its second meeting. The business of managing the 
State finances had now became so important that the 
office of comptroller was created, and Samuel Jones, 
a State senator, was placed in that office by the coun- 
cil of appointment. 

Paper money and State banks.— Since the revolu- 
tion the finances of the State had been in a deplorable 
condition. Each State had its own standard of value, 
and the greatest confusion resulted. A shilling in 
Xew England was not the same as a shilling in New 
York. English coins, — guineas, crowns, shillings, and 
pence, were in circulation, as were the coins of Spain, 



* Under the constitution at that time the candidate 
receiving the highest number of votes became president, 
and the second highest was vice-president. 



332 Conti:j^ental A.ND State Money [Period VIII 
France, and Holland. Continental money was prac- 



lOvj 



K§f<.f» 



No. 4 J-T-^y Six S^OJC^^^. 

THIS Bill eYititlesiU 
-,^,_ Bearer to receive 
SIX SPANISH MLLLFD 
DOLLARS, or the 
"Vrtlx/^tfcereof in GOLD 

Or^ItVER-occOTdwr to 

aKesoZution of CON^ 
GRESS fdMIat Phi. 
ladelphiaNov'Z- if/&' 




Pm^Mm 




tically valueless. The national government had done 
nothing toward the establishment of a fixed standard 
of value, and trade suffered in consequence. 

Xow, in many of the States, the advocates of paper 
money came forward. Xew Jersey had made a large 
issue of this fiat money. The legislature of Xew York 
was urged to do the same, and in 1786, a bill was 
passed creating an issue of £200,000 in paper. Eight 
shillings of this made a dollar. In July, 1786, the 
notes came out. At first they were taken at par in 
New York. Then the notes of other States began to 
come into New York and were refused by the mer- 
chants. In turn, the notes of New Y^ork were refused 
in other States. 

In this way all were soon depreciated in value, and 
the coin of the country was gradually exported *. 

* McMaster, Vol. I. 



1798] Prospect of War with France 333 

The first State bank.—" The bank of New York " 
— the first State bank — was chartered in 1791. Un- 
fortunately the stock was chiefly owned by federalists, 
and the majority of the legislature were of the same 
party. The republicans accused them of using the 
funds of the bank for political purposes, so Aaron 
Burr devised a plan for the establishment of another 
bank. 

The Manhattan bank fraud.— The city of New 
York had no good water supply. Yellow fever and 
other contagious diseases had visited the city, and had 
been properly attributed to the bad sanitary conditions. 

Aaron Burr introduced a bill in the State legislature 
which provided $2,000,000 to be used in the construc- 
tion of a system of water works, ^^ and for any other 
purpose not inconsibtent ivith the constitution ^\ 

The bill looked innocent and was hurried through 
the legislature near the close of the session, few hav- 
ing any suspicion of its real import. Under the last 
clause of the act was established "the Manhattan 
State bank " — a most powerful rival to the bank al- 
ready in existence. The water works were constructed, 
but were entirely insufficient for the use of the city. 
This measure aided in bringing to grief the ambitions 
of Aaron Burr. 

.The ^' French scare '% 1798. — The administration 
of President John Adams was a stormy one. Eng- 
land and France were at war. John Jay's treaty with 
the former power had still further angered France. 
Genet was recalled by request of our government, and 
our minister to France, Mr. Pinckney, was dismissed by 



334 " Not a Cent for Tribute " [Period VIII 

the " directory ". War with France seemed imminent. 
Nowhere else did party spirit run so high as in Xew 
York*. Sympathy for France blinded the judgment 
of republicans to the real condition of affairs. Per- 
sonal encounters between members of the opposing 
parties became common. 

The aggressions of France on our merchantmen 
finally drove all to the support of the United States 
government. Washington was recalled from his retire- 
ment, and once more made commander-in-chief of the 
army. The New York legislature appropriated $1,- 
200,000 for the defence of Xew York and sustained 
Mr. Adams in his firm attitude toward France f. 

In 1799 the directory was overthrown by Napoleon. 
The so-called republic of France ceased to be, and the 
war cloud for a time disappeared from our horizon. 

Death of Washington, 1799. — Near the close of 
the eighteenth century, in the midst of the stirring 
events in which he had been so prominent, Washing- 
ton died (December 14). The sorrow with which 

* It was during this excitement that Mr. Adams 
persuaded Mr. Joseph Hopkinson to write the words 
of " Hail Columbia ", which were first sung: to the air, 
" The President's march", in a Philadelphia theatre, 
and afterward upon the streets of New York. This 
did as much as anything to restore harmony. " Firm, 
united, let us be. Rallying 'round our liberty," etc., 
etc. See Song Budget Music Series, Part III, pages 
10, 11. 

t When the United States was asked as the price of 
peace to pay France $250,000, Mr. Pinckney made this 
historic answer: "Millions for defence, but not a 
cent for tribute! " 



1799] An Era of Progress 335 

the intelligence was everywhere received was soothed 
by the recollection of his distinguished services, which 
a grateful people now began to realize. A native of 
Virginia, he seemed a citizen of New York, for there 
had much of his public life been spent. 

All era of progress. — Its position midway between 
the eastern and southern colonies, its magnificent har- 
bor, its natural waterways opening far into the State, 
its fertile soil, the character of its early settlers, all 
guaranteed to New York a prosperous future. Lands 
could not be opened rapidly enough to accommodate 
the settlers that came hither. Men from all the New 
England colonies had at sometime served on New 
York's soil. These had carried home with them 
stories of its rich valleys and beautiful lakes. So 
there now came what was needed, — a wave of immi- 
gration from among the hardy settlers of Massachu- 
setts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire, 
bringing to the State their strong arms inured to toil, 
their enterprise, economy, and intelligence with their 
firm if somewhat narrow Puritan love for truth. They 
poured into all these valleys; they pushed up into the 
higher and rougher table lands which the Dutch had 
disregarded, and everywhere they took with them the 
church and the school, those twin children of free 
institutions. 

From the interior, cargoes of wheat began to arrive 
at Albany; and instead of gewgaws for the Indians, 
utensils for the houses and farms of the settlers were 
sent out in return. Manufactures, which had been 
confined to the household, now began to utilize the 
abundant waterpower. Shipping had re-appeared at 



336 Party Xames [Period VIII 

New York. Trade between the colonies sprang up, 
and ship-loads of goods arrived from and departed to 
foreign ports. 

Exports from Xew York rose from nothing to two 
and one-half millions in 1791, and to fourteen mil- 
lions in 1800. 

Post-roads were now established, and mails came and 
went with some degree of regularity. As by magic, 
newspapers appeared. In Xew York city Xoah Web- 
ster, the great lexicographer then published the "Ad- 
vertiser", and Samuel Loudon the "Packet", both 
ardent federalist journals. The republicans had 
"Greenfield's Journal", and the merchants the 
"Price Current". Albany boasted of three news- 
papers. Orange and Ulster counties each had two, 
and several other counties had one. Of news, these 
contained very little, for there was not for many years 
any means of gathering it. 

These papers discussed in long essays, serious ques- 
tions of religion and State, and scolded the govern- 
ment and its officers in articles which would now be 
thought very tedious. 

The postage on a letter for not more than thirty 
miles was six cents; for sixty miles it was ten cents, 
and the rate increased to twenty-five cents for 450 
miles. People objected to paying postage on news- 
papers, as they considered it as a " tax on knowledge ". 

Party names. — As early as 1789 the name " repub- 
lican " was adopted by those anti-federalists who sym- 
pathized with the French revolutionists. The word 
" democratic" was added by the federalists as a term 



1799] SuMMAEY 337 

of contempt, but was proudly adopted by the repub- 
licans and generally used thereafter. 

SUMMARY 

1. Elections of 1792. 

2. Anti-federalists become republicans; Jacobins. 

3. Citizen Genet. 

4. The English treaty and Mr. Jay. 

5. Bowling Green meeting; Abuse of Mr. Jay. 

6. State finances; first comptroller; paper money. 

7. First State banks. 

8. Manhattan bank fraud. 

9. French scare, 1798; origin of ■' Hail Columbia ". 

10. Progress; immigration. 

11. Newspapers. . 



CHAPTER XXXIX 

The Constitutional Revision" of 1801 

Constitutional convention. — Before the end of 
Mr. Jay's second term as governor, it began to be ap- 
parent that the State constitution should be amended. 
Many defects had been discovered, but the chief objec- 
tion made was to the "council of appointment". 
The democrats were now coming into power in the 
legislature, and the governor found himself hedged in 
by this " council ". As the constitution made no pro- 
vision for its own amendment, the legislature ordered 
a constitutional convention to be elected by the people. 
This met in October, 1801, and Aaron Burr was chosen 
as its president. 

In this convention were DeWitt Clinton and Daniel 
D. Tompkins, — both future governors of the State. So 
dominated were the members by political influence, 
that not a single vote could be obtained for the aboli- 
tion of that monstrosity, the "council of appoint- 
ment". It was too useful as a part of the palitical 
machinery of the party in power. The only changes 
made in the fundamental law of the State were slight 
ones in regard to membership in the senate and assem- 
bly*. These were ratified by the people. 

*The membership of the senate was then fixed at 
32, and that of the assembly at 100, to be increased by 
two, yearly, until the number should be 1 50. 

(338) 



1801] New York ix National Politics 339 

New York politics ; George Clinton elected 
governor. — In 1801 the democrats were fully in power. 
They elected Ex-Governor George Clinton to the office 
of governor and sent his nephew, DeWitt Clinton, to 
the United States senate. Aaron Burr, now vice- 
president, was seeking promotion to the presidency. 
Between him and DeAVitt Clinton sprang up such a 
rivalry that the whole power of the Clinton family was 
turned against Burr. The Livingstons, also, were 
alienated from him, and as Burr's friends asserted, 
were rewarded, through President Jefferson by the 
appointment of Chancellor Robert E. Livingston as 
minister to France*, and his brother Edward te the 
office of United States attorney for New York. 

For the first time in our country's history the doc- 
trine was enunciated that "the affairs of government 
should be managed by those who were in accord with 
the chiefs whom the people had elected." 

To this no just objection could be raised, and were 
all politicians both wise and honest it would never 
descend to that kindred maxim, "To the victors be- 
long the spoils." 

In justice to the leaders of the majority, it should 
be said that they, with the best men of the State, had 
begun to distrust Burr, and had resolved to part com- 
pany with him. 

Burr's eflForts to become governor ; election 
of Morgan Lewis. — In his own State Burr's fortunes 



* During his residence in France, Mr. Livingston 
was able to negotiate the treaty by which President 
Jefferson purchased Louisiana from Napoleon. 




340 Feelin^g against Aaron Burr [Period VIII 

were on the wane. Through 
"The Citizen", the official 
organ of the Clintons and 
Livingstons, he was sub- 
jected to bitter attacks, and 
these were supported by 
the "Evening Post", a 
paper published in the in- 
terests of Hamilton. These 
MORGAN iI7^i754-i844 chargcs wcrc replied to in 
Governor, 1801-4 the " Momiug Chroniclc ", 

a paper founded to further Burr's interests. 

The warfare was even carried into the legislature, 
and as a result Burr's friends were removed from posi- 
tions of trust. The power of the Manhattan bank, 
which he had founded was turned against him, the op- 
position having secured a controlling interest in the 
stock. Burr could easily persuade himself that he 
was the victim of a plot intended to work his ruin. 

His friends finally determined on a bold stroke, and 
in February, 1804, he was nominated for governor of 
New York. The opposition named Chief Justice Mor- 
gan Lewis, a relative of the Livingstons, and he was 
elected by a majority of 8,700 votes. 

The Burr-Hamilton tragedy, 1804. — In the cam- 
paign against Burr, Alexander Hamilton was very 
active. At a private meeting of federalists, Hamilton, 
in speaking of the election, had said that " no reliance 
ought to be placed on Burr". The usual mischief- 
maker was present who soon repeated the remark as 
an attack on Burr's private character. 

A prompt retraction was demanded by Burr, but 



1804] Duel of Burr and Hamilton 341 

Hamilton's pride forbade a reply. A challenge fol- 
lowed, and in the duel which ensued, Hamilton fell*. 

The excitement throughout the country was intense. 
The coroner's jury found Burr guilty of murder, and 
he fled from the State. For years he was a fugitive, 
engaged in most visionary schemes, the chief of which 
was to form a new republic from the States west of 
the Blue Ridge mountains f. For this he was arrested, 
brought to Washington (1807) and tried for treason. 
The verdict was "not proven" and Burr was once 
more free, though he lived thereafter in obscurity J. 

" The duel " which had even in Kew York become 
very common as a means of settling disputes, came 
into such ill- repute that, in the northern States, it 
practically became unknown. 

Burr and Hamilton contrasted.— Among the 

many names of this period none are more prominent in 
the history of NewYork politics than those of Hamilton 
and Burr. Born within a year of each other, — Burr in 
Xew Hampshire in 1756, Hamilton in the West Indies 
in 1757, — their lives, m many respects ran parallel. 

Burr was left an orphan at the age of three years, 
but was able to enter Princeton college and to gradu- 

* The duel occurred near Weehauken, K^. J., July 
11, 1804. Hamilton had sat up all the previous night 
transacting necessary business, which included the 
making of his will. His wife knew nothing of the 
affair till he was brought home in a dying condition., 

t Eead " The Blennerhasset Affair ". 

X He went to England, but returned and died on 
Staten Island in 1836. 



342 Burr and Hamilton [Period VIII 





Aakon Burr, 1756-1836 Alexander Hamilton, 1757-1804 

ate at sixteen. Hamilton's father having failed in 
business when the son was but three years old, at the 
age of twelve the boy was put to work in a counting- 
house. Here his undoubted abilities attracted the 
attention of friends who sent him to Kings college, 
from which he was graduated at seventeen. 

Both entered the patriot army in the same year, 
1775. Burr entered as a private, but by his ability he 
soon rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel with a posi- 
tion as aide to the commander-in-chief, whose general- 
ship he despised and whose strategy he uniformly con- 
demned. 

Hamilton entered the service with the rank of cap- 
tain of artillery, became a colonel, and also served as 
aide to Washington, all of whose plans he seconded, 
and to whom he became a most efficient assistant. 

Burr married the daughter of a British officer, and 
left the service in 1779; Hamilton married the daugh- 
ter of General Schuyler, and served until peace was 
declared. 



1804] Burr and Hamilton 343 

Both early entered politics, in which field they soon 
became rivals. Hamilton was a federalist, an ardent 
supporter of the new constitution, the author of sixty- 
three of the eighty-five now famous essays on the con- 
stitution, which make up the " Federalist". 

Burr, at first in doubt, finally became an anti-feder- 
alist, and opposed the adoption of the constitution and 
every measure of Washington's administration. 

Both were natural leaders of men; Hamilton, by 
his winning, persuasive manner; Burr by his imperious 
force of character. Hamilton was cheerful, courteous, 
friendly; Burr, saturnine, jealous, revengeful. In 
politics, both were ambitious and designing, but Ham- 
ilton's good humor won friends, while Burr's gloomy 
spirit repelled those who wished to be his friends. 

Both men rose rapidly in the political field. In 
1784, Burr was elected to the assembly and subse- 
quently served as attorney-general of the State, as 
United States senator, and vice-president. Hamilton 
became Washington's secretary of the treasury, and 
when war with France threatened, was made major- 
general under Washington. 

In a different measure both possessed the gift of 
oratory. Hamilton was brilliant; Burr was logical. 
The one was fascinating, the other forcible. 

In private character, it is probable that Burr would 
to-day pass as the better man, — and that without 
ascribing to him all the virtues. The deed in which 
their life-long antagonisms culminated would have 
been entirely impossible in Hamilton, but was, in those 
times, the natural expression of Burr's character. 



344 Summary [Period VIII 

By the final tragedy of their lives, one became fixed 
in history as a disinterested patriot, while the memory 
of the other was consigned to lasting infamy. 

SUMMARY 

1. First revision of State constitution, 1801. 

2. Political quarrels and maxims, 1801. 

3. Burr for governor; his defeat. 

4. The Burr-Hamilton tragedy; effect. 



CHAPTER XL 

The First Steamboat 

Elections. In 1804, Mr. Jefferson was re-elected 
president, and Ex-GoTernor George Clinton became 
vice-president in place of Burr. 

The West Point military academy was founded 
in 1802, but in 1812 it was re-organized on a much 
broader plan. The grade was raised, and the number 
of cadets limited to 260*. 

The first steamboats, 1807. — At the beginning 
of the present century three men were at work on the 
problem of steam navigation. These were John Cox 
Stephens in New York and Robert E. Livingston and 
Robert Fulton in Paris. 

Stephens was an inventor. In 1812 he invented the 
first iron-clad ship. He studied the problem of rail- 
roads and suggested the construction of one from Al- 
bany to Lake Erie, long before the Erie canal was un- 
dertaken. He made the plans for the Camden and 
Amboy railroad, in New Jersey. 

Robert R. Livingston in 1801 was minister of the 
United States to France. In Paris he became ac- 
quainted with Robert Fulton, an artist and inventor. 
The fact that both were working on the same problem 
drew them together, and they formed a co-partner- 
ship for the prosecution of their enterprise. 

* The original fortifications at West Point were 
planned by Thaddeus Kosciusko. See page 269. 

(345) 



346 The First Steamboat [Period VIII 

Livingston's influence made it possible for him to 
obtain from the legislature of Xew York, the exclu- 
sive right of steam navigation within the bounds of 
that State for twenty years, on condition that he should 
within one year move a boat of twenty tons by steam, 
at the rate of four miles an hour. 

This he failed to do, but later, when he and Fulton 
had prosecuted their experiments somewhat farther, 
Livingston succeeded in getting this privilege extended 
for two years. Meantime Stephens had built the first 
steamer, the Phoenix^ and was running it on the waters 
about K^ew York. 

Finally Kobert Fulton launched his boat, the Cler- 
mont^ on East Eiver. It was 
130 feet long and only 18 
feet wide; it had a second 
deck at both stem and stern 
and was provided with mast 
and sails for use in case 
steam should fail. 

The wheels were 15 feet 
in diameter, with paddles 
which dipped in the water 

Robert Fulton, 1765-1815 , » . 

two leet. 
At one o'clock in the afternoon of August 7, 1807, 
the voyage was begun. The weight of the machinery 
nearly sank the craft, but she made the trip of 150 
miles in thirty-two hours, and by the terms of the agree- 
ment had won the exclusive right for her builders to 
navigate the lakes and rivers of New York for twenty 
years. 




1807] The Democrats in Power 347 

The success of the undertaking is usually attributed 
to Eobert Fulton. It is doubtful if it does not quite 
as much belong to Eobert Livingston, while to John 
Cox Stephens certainly belongs the credit of being the 
first to navigate the waters of New York bay by steam*. 

Daniel D. Tompkins^ governor. — In 1807 the 





Daniel U. Tompkins, 1774-1825 James RIadison, 1751-1836 

Governor, 1807-1817 President, 1809-1817 

democrats controlled the State and elected as governor 
Daniel D. Tompkins. He was a graduate of Colum- 
bia college; he had been a delegate to the constitu- 
tional convention of 1801, a member of the State 
legislature and a member of congress. He brought to 
the governor's chair exceptional abilities and filled the 
office continuously for ten years. 

Madison and Clinton.— In New York the federalist 

* By the monopoly secured by Livingston and Ful- 
ton the Phoenix was driven out of New York bay, but 
she went to the Delaware river and plied between 
Philadelphia and Trenton. Mr. Livingston is rarely 
mentioned in connection with "Fulton's steamboat". 
This is probably on account of his high political 
position. 



348 Political Changes [Period YIII 

party was thought to be dead. In its opposition to 
the infatuation of the democrats for everything that 
came from France, it had gone to the opposite extreme 
of complete " toadyism " to everything English. Its 
adherents had even disapproved of the custom of read- 
ing the Declaration of Independence on public occa- 
sions. On this account its support had rapidly drifted 
away, and in 1808 the country was easily carried for 
James Madison as president, while George Clinton 
was retained as vice-president. 

National issues. — There was genuine cause for 
complaint against both France and England. In their 
almost chronic state of war, they entirely ignored the 
rights of the United States. By the restrictions which 
both placed upon commerce, American merchant ships 
were being driven from the seas. Mr. Jefferson's pet 
scheme of an "embargo"* on all commerce bore 
heavily upon Xew York. Two effects could be plainly 
seen: it gave an impetus to home manufactures, and 
it woke the old federalist party to vigorous life. As 
a result, in the elections of 1809 they captured the 
legislature, made a new council of appointment and 
turned the democrats out of office. 

The " embargo " was repealed June 10th, 1809, and 
there was great rejoicing throughout the State. Busi- 
ness revived and politicians, for a time, had no great 
"national issues" with which to mislead the people. 

The federalists defeated^, 1810. — By the elec- 
tions of 1810 the State government passed entirely into 
the hands of the democrats. True to their traditional 

* See U. S. History. 



1811] The Tammany Society 349 

policy, they formed a new council of appointment, 
and in a few months not one federalist office holder re- 
mained to tell of the victory of the preceding year. 

Democratic quarrels^ 1811. — Seldom have poli- 
ticians been able to refrain from quarrelling over the 
spoils of office. DeWitt Clinton was now the rising 
leader among the democrats, and the death of John 
Broome, lieutenant-governor, furnished the occasion 
for a contention in that party. 

DeWitt Clinton had at this period in his life a gift 
for doing the mnexpected. In 1803, when he had but 
just reached the United States senate, he resigned his 
seat to become mayor of New York city; and now to 
the surprise of every one, he became a candidate for 
the office of lieutenant-governor, and received +he 
regular democratic nomination. The "Tammany 
society"*, already a decided political power, nomi- 
nated against him that gallant soldier, Colonel Marinus 
Willett, while the federalists put forward Colonel 
Nicholas Fish. The election was close; Clinton was 
elected by a small majority. 

*" The Tammany society ", or " Columbian order ", 
as it was also called, was founded soon after the inau- 
guration of Washington. It was then strictly a national 
society and its object, as stated was " to foster a true 
love for our country". Men of both political parties 
belonged to it. It took its name from the legendary 
Indian chief "Tammany", described by Dr. Samuel 
Latham Mitchell, founder of the New York Historical 
society. William Mooney was the first Grand Sachem. 
Gradually the society became a political factor, and in 
later years it has often controlled the elections in our 
State. 



350 SUMMARY [Period VIII 

SUMMARY 

1. Steamboats, 1807. 

2. The federalist party; in 1708. 

3. K"ational issues in Xew York; the embargo. 

4. Democratic quarrels. 

5. Tammany society. 



CHAPTER XLI 

The War of 1812 

Causes of the war. — Several causes united to 
bring on the war of 1812, or, as it is frequently called, 
" The Second War for Independence: " 

1. Great Britain had never carried out all the agree- 
ments of the " Treaty of Paris". 

2. While the United States claimed that a man might 
transfer his allegiance and that "The Flag protects 
the Sailor", England denied the right of "expatria- 
tion ", and held that a man " once a British sailor was 
always a British sailor". Consequently, she claimed 
the right to stop merchantmen and even naval vessels 
of the United States anywhere on the high seas and 
search them for British sailors. This she frequently 
did, even in the ports of the United States. 

3. Great Britain in common with France had placed 
restrictions on American commerce which practically 
shut it out of one-half the ports of the world. Either 
England or France would grant immunity to our mer- 
chant marine on terms that would involve us in war 
with the other power. 

The federalists charged all our troubles on France, 
— the democrats on England. On account of her more 
extensive commerce, New York had felt these restric- 
tions more than any other State and here the war feel- 
ing became strongest. The rallying cry in the late 
elections had been " Free ships and sailors'' rights' \ 

(351) 



352 War Declared [Period VIII 

War declared against Oreat Britain. — At last 
when all honorable means for the preservation of peace 
had been exhausted, when 900 American ships had 
been seized and 2,000 sailors imprisoned, on June 19, 
1812, a declaration of war against England was made. 
Strangely enough this was done before any steps had 
been taken to put the country into a state of defence. 
There were no army, no navy, and no money in the 
national treasury. 

It was foreseen that Xew York w^ould, as in preced- 
ing wars, be the State to suffer most, but there was a 
general feeling of relief and a universal rallying to the 
support of the government when war was an assured 
fact. 

The State militia was at once organized. Stephen 
Van Eensselaer was made major-general and placed in 
command of a division; General William Mooers in 
command of a second; and General Henry Dearborn 
was to command the department*. 

New York in the war of 1812. — War having been 
formally declared, Xew York entered at once upon her 
part in its prosecution. All the plans for an invasion 
of Canada had been formulated at Washington, but 
they were seriously disarranged by the defeat and sur- 
render of General Hull at Detroit, x\ugust 16, 1812. 
This made it more certain that Xew York would be- 
come the chief field of operations. 

On Lake Champlain, by which invasions and 

* General Dearborn was a New Hampshire man. He 
had entered the patriot army at Lexington and served 
through the War of the Revolution. 



1812] 



Battles in Xew York 



353 



counter-invasions had so frequently been made, was 
General Dearborn with 3,000 regulars and 2,000 
militia. Two thousand more militia were on the St. 
Lawrence, extending to Sacketts Harbor, while at 
Buffalo were 6,000 volunteers. 

The first engagement in New York was at Sackett's 
Harbor. Here Lieutenant Woolsey commanded a 
little brig, the Oneida, built for the revenue service. 
In July, 1812, the British appeared olf the harbor with 
five small vessels. Woolsey anchored his little ship 
broad-side to the entrance, took out the guns in the 
other broad-side, and planted them in batteries on 

shore, with an old thirty- 
two-pounder, a relic of the 
"Revolutionary War, which he 
excavated from the mud. 
With these he defeated the 
English squadron. 

T h e second engagement 
was near Ogdensburg, Oct. 
4, 1812, when 700 British 
attacked General Brown* 
and were repulsed. 

Invasion of Canada^ 1812.— On the 13th of Octo- 
ber following, a force under Colonel Van Eensselaer 
crossed the Niagara river and captured an English fort. 
On the American side were nearly one thousand militia 
who refused to go to the assistance of their comrades, 

* General Jacob Brown was a school teacher, a survey- 
or, and a lawyer. He became Hamilton's secretary, a 
county judge, a general of militia, and finally com- 
mander-in-chief of the northern army. 




Jacob Brown, 1775-1828 



354 I^sTYASioN OF Cain^ada [Period VIII 

even when Colonel Van Rensselaer, himself badly 
wounded, besought them in person. The little band 
was finally compelled to surrender to the increasing 
English force. Among those taken prisoners was 
Lieutenant Winfield Scott. 

Late in Xovember, a similar attempt at the invasion 
of Canada from Black Rock resulted in failure, and 
still another from Plattsburg, by General Dearborn, 
accomplished but little. 

New York inyaded, 1813. — A force of British 
regulars, Canadian militia and Indians, February 22, 
1813, made an attack on Ogdensburg, which was held 
by Captain Forsyth with a small number of men. 
They took the forts, burned the storehouses and ship- 
ping, but retired after losing 100 killed and wounded, 
while Captain Forsyth escaped with a loss of only 
twenty. 

Secoud invasion of Canada^ 1813. — Commodore 
Chauncey, in April, took General Pike with 1,600 men 
across Lake Ontario and captured York (Toronto). 
In the action General Pike was killed, and the Ameri- 
can losses were heavy, but a large amount of military 
stores was seized and much shipping was burned. 
With the rest, the state-house was burned, and this, 
later, was made the pretext for destroying the national 
buildings at Washington. 

A month after, an expedition went to Niagara river 
where the British stronghold. Fort George, was taken, 
— the conquest occupying only three hours *. 

* Oliver Hazard Perry, Winfield Scott, and Alexander 
Macomb took a prominent part in this achievement. 



1813] Battle of Lake Erie 355 

Attack on Sacketts Harbor. — To carry on these 
operations, the force at Sacketts Harbor had been 
weakened, and in May, 1813, General Prevost with 
1,000 men, two ships and four schooners undertook its 
capture. The assault was made May 29, but through 
the courage of General Jacob Brown with his small 
force of resolute men, the British were driven in dis- 
order to their vessels. General Provost lost 150 of 
his men, while General Brown from his much smaller 
force, suffered a loss of 21 killed and 91 wounded. 

This v/as the enemy's last attempt to capture Sack- 
etts Harbor, and it remained, as it had been for years, 
the most important depot for army and navy stores on 
the frontier of New York. 

In July, 1813, the State was invaded at Plattsburg 
and the barracks and stores there were burned. 

Perry on Lake Erie. — It was early determined to 
make an effort to control 
Lake Erie. Captain Oliver 
Hazard Perry offered his ser- 
vices for this undertaking. 
He built four vessels at 
Presque Isle, and Henry 
Eckford, the famous ^ew 
York shipbuilder, re-con- 
structed five merchantmen 
^ TT T, ,^or .n,n at Black Eock. 

Oliver Hazard Perry, 1785-1819 

In the summer of 1813, 
Perry had on Lake Erie a fleet of nine small vessels, — 
two of which as he said, " were growing in the woods 
last spring." 




356 Attempt to Crush America [Period VIII 

On September 10 Perry encountered the English fleet. 
In the engagement which followed he captured, accord- 
ing to his famous despatch to General Harrison, "two 
ships, two brigs, one schooner and one sloop." He 
had taken the whole British fleet and obtained control 
of Lake Erie. 

All attempt to invade Canada^ 1813. — An in- 
vasion by way of Sacketts Harbor was undertaken in 
October, but in crossing Lake Ontario the fleet of 
transports encountered a storm and failed to effect a 
landing. 

The force descended the St. Lawrence and retired to 
Lake Champlain. ^"ear the lake, at Chrysler's Farm, 
an engagement occurred with little advantage to either 
side. 

The winter of 1813-14 now suspended operations 
with very little accomplished, as yet with much to en- 
courage the Americans. The months were spent by 
both parties in preparing for the spring's campaign. 

Operations of 1814. — England was now released 
from European complications by the defeat of N^apoleon, 
and 14,000 of Wellington's veterans were sent to Can- 
ada. It was determined to crush the small American 
army in one decisive campaign. 

But spring found the American people more 
united and better prepared. Privateers had been 
fitted out to prey on British commerce, and additional 
vessels had been equipped on the lakes. In February 
the energetic General Brown was ready. Sir James 
Yeo, an English commander, appeared at Oswego in 
May. He made a landing and temporarily drove the 




1814] Battles near ^"iagara Falls 357 

small garrison from the forfc, but, after a loss of 235 

men, he decided to retire to 
Canada. 

The main British army- 
was under General Drum- 
mond on the Canadian bank 
of N^iagara, and thither Gen- 
eral Brown rapidly marched 
from Sacketts Harbor. With 
him, in command of bri- 
sjades, were General Winfield 

WiNFiELD Scott, 1786-1866 ^ ^ ^ i x^. -, 

bcott and General Kipley, a 
small artillery and cavalry force, and 600 Indians 
under the famous chief Eed Jacket *. 

With this force General Brown was ordered to invade 
Canada. On the morning of July 3d, 1814, General 
Scott crossed the river before daylight and gained a 
foot-hold. This advantage was followed up by a larger 
force and Fort Erie was easily taken. 

Then followed rapidly the battle of " Lundy's Lane ", 
the British attempt to re-take Fort Erie, the battle of 
" Chippewa ", in all of which the Americans were vic- 
torious, and operations in the west were practically 
closed. 

Battle of Lake Champlaiii^ 1814. — The scene 
now shifted to Lake Champlain. At Plattsburg were 
1,500 regulars under General Alexander Macomb, 
while General Benjamin Mooers commanded the militia. 

On the lake was captain Thomas Macdonough with 

* This was the last military expedition in which the 
Indians of New York ever participated. 



1814] Battle of Lake Champlaij^ 359 

a small squadron, — his flagship, the Saratoga, one brig, 
two schooners and ten galleys. 





Alexander Macomb, 1782-1841 Thomas Macdonough, 1783-1825 

Macomb and Macdonough were soon put to the test. 
In September General Prevost with 14,000 English 
soldiers appeared in the vicinity of Plattsburg, and 
announced his intention to occupy and hold l^ew York 
State, while, at the same time, the British squadron 
under Commodore DeWitt moved up the Sorel river 
into Lake Champlain. 

The situation was extremely critical for the two 
American commanders. In sight of the two fleets 
preparing for battle, the land forces were soon engaged 
in their preliminary skirmish. 

Macdonough, but thirty-one years of age, had the 
courage to prepare himself for the conflict by kneeling 
upon the deck of his flagship in sight of his men and 
praying for success. 

AVith the first gun from the British fleet, Prevost 
also advanced with great confidence. Then occurred 
such a dual combat as has seldom been witnessed. 
The thunder of artillery on the lake answered to the 
volleys of musketry on shore. 



360 N^AVAL Victories [Period VIII 

When the smoke finally cleared, the British fleet had 
been destroyed, and the boaster, Prevost, was on the 
run for Canada. Two victories had been won, but at 
great cost. Macdonough's fleet was in ruins and he 
had lost a hundred men. Macomb had lost an equal 
number, but Xew York was cleared of the enemy and 
they did not return *. 

Naval achievements. — Although we had met with 
some reverses on land, these were fully compensated 
for by the brilliant achievements of onr impromptu 
navy. In 1813 England proclaimed a blockade of all 
our coast from Portsmouth to l^ew Orleans but she was 
never less " Mistress of the Seas" than during that 
period. A fleet had been improvised, and, by the 
second year of the war, under Decatur and Stewart 





Stephen Decatur, 1779-1820 



* To the shame of certain of our countrymen of that 
time it must be said that, even while Macdonough and 
Macomb were preparing for this struggle, Prevost could 
write to England, " Were it not for the farmers of Xew 
York and Vermont, my army would starve. We are 
fed almost entirely by provisions drawn from these two 
States." 



1814] Close of the War 361 

and Jacob Jones and David Porter was scouring all the 
seas and winning victories everywhere. 

Fortification of New York, 1814.— :N^ot with- 
standing the activity of our small navy, British fleets 
were still able to lay waste the coast of New England, 
and the city of ISTew York, wholly unprotected, be- 
came alarmed. 

Mayor DeWitt Clinton issued a stirring address call- 
ing upon the citizens to aid in fortifying the town. 
General Joseph G. Swift of the engineer corps planned 
the works. A line of intrenchments ran across Long 
Island on the heights, now in the centre of Brooklyn. 
Another line extended to the mouth of the Harlem 
river, while forts and redoubts were to be constructed 
at all available points. All classes responded to the 
mayor's call. Men assembled at some favorite tavern 
or hall or wharf and marched in a body, with pick and 
shovel to "toil in the trenches". The churches, the 
clubs and the trades sent delegations. Literally, 
" the butcher, the baker, the candlestick-maker " went 
out by reliefs on set days. Professional men, — minis- 
ters, lawyers, doctors, — even teachers with their classes 
volunteered, until, inanincredibly short time, the works 
were furnished and New Y^ork city needed only guns, 
and men behind them, to be thoroughly protected. 
The guns were never placed and the men were never 
needed. 

Fortunately the expected British fleet did not come. 
The ground of those old trenches is now the site of 
busy marts and elegant homes. 

Close of the war. — The capture and burning of 
Washington, August 27, 1814, the attempt on Balti- 



362 Results of the War [Period VIII 

more, which failed, the bombardment of Fort Mc- 
Henry^, and the battle of Xew Orleans, fought after 
a treaty of peace had been signed, closed the land 
operations of this war. 

Peace negotiations were going on, and a treaty was 
signed at Ghent, Belgium, December 24, 1814. 

Results of the war. — Wars are of importance, 
chietiy, as the culmination of events. The difficulties 
which led to this second war with England had existed 
since the revolution. In reviewing those events, it 
seems singular that the questions which brought on 
the war were not settled by the Treaty of Ghent. 
They were not even mentioned in that treaty, hence it 
failed to secure either of the objects for which Ameri- 
cans fought. The outbreak of joy which swept over 
the country when the news reached America that the 
war was at an end, was soon tempered by disappoint- 
ment over the fact that the great waste of blood and 
treasure had apparently brought no results. 

A Xew York paper, "The Evening Post", in its 
Carriers' Xew Years address, printed these lines: 

" Your commerce is wantonly lost, 

Your treasures are wasted and gone ; 
You've fought to no end but with millions of cost, 

* " It was during this exciting cannonade, Septem- 
ber 14, 1814, that our national song ' The Star Spangled 
Banner ' was written by Francis Scott Key, while 
anxiously pacing the deck of a British vessel whither 
he had gone, under a flag of truce, to solicit the release 
of certain prisoners." — Mrs. Lamb. 

A monument to the memory of Key was unveiled at 
Frederick, Maryland, in 1898. 



1814] Cost of the War 363 

And for rivers of blood you've nothing to boast 
But credit and nation undone." 

But this was not true; good had come from the war. 
Not only Great Britain, but France, had learned that 
the United States were now a nation, strong, confident, 
able to maintain their rights on sea or land. There 
was little interference thereafter with American com- 
merce. The State militia was now put on a better 
footing; the pay was increased; a law was passed to 
enlist 12,000 men, and also to raise a regiment of 
colored troops. In this regiment slaves, with the con- 
sent of their masters, might enlist, and when discharged 
were to be freed. The firm attitude of ]N"ew York did 
much to strengthen the hands of President Madison 
in the midst of the difl&culties of the war. 

Cost of the war. — To New York the cost of the 
war had been greater than to any other State. Be- 
sides her share in the national expense, New York had 
put into the field 40,000 militia. She had sent out 26 
privateers carrying 212 guns and 2,239 men, and when 
the nation's resources had been exhausted, Governor 
Tompkins had endorsed $500,000 in government 
notes to replenish the empty national treasury. 

Again all New York's frontiers from Buffalo to Lake 
Champlain had been desolated by the fortunes of war, 
and so great was the consequent suffering that many 
people in those districts were dependent on State aid 
for support. Yet in the midst of all this. New York 
had gone forward with her appropriations for schools 
and colleges and charitable institutions, confident in 
her own future resources and in the growing power 
of the republic. 



364 Summary [Period VIII 

SUMMARY 

1. Causes of the war of 1812. 

2. War declared. 

3. Xew York the field of operations. 

4. Sacketts Harbor, 1812. 

5. New York invaded, 1813. 

6. Second attack on Sacketts Harbor. 

7. Perry on Lake Erie. 

8. The war on western frontier. 

9. Battle on Lake Champlain, and at Plattsburg. 

10. Naval achievements. 

11. Fortification of New York city. 

12. New Orleans and the Peace of Ghent. 

13. Eesults of war; financial and real. 

14. Cost of the war. 



PERIOD IX 
NEW YORK IN TIMES OF PEACE 



CHAPTER XLII 

The Erie Oaii^^al 

Changes in admistration. — From the days of 
Peter Minuit, New York had known only brief intervals 
of respite from war. She was now to enter upon a 
long era of peace, in which to develop her resources 
and foster those arts which have become her greatest 
pride. 

At the beginning of the second struggle with Great 
Britain, on the 20th of April, 1812, Vice-President 
George Clinton had died at Washington after a con- 
tinuous public service of more than forty years. 

Governor Tompkins having served from 1807 to 
1817 resigned the governor's 
chair to take the office of 
vice-president under Mr. 
Monroe, who had in that 
year (1817) succeeded Mr. 
Madison as president. 

One of the last acts of Mr. 
Tompkins's long and suc- 
cessful administration was 
his recommendation to the 
legislature of a plan for the 
(365) 




James Monroe, 1758-1831 
President, 1817-25 




366 Xeed of a Watekway [Period IX 

final extinction of slavery in the State of Xew York. 

The bill was passed without a dissenting vote *. 

DeWitt Clinton, governor, 1817.— By his abili- 
ties and varied experience 
in public affairs, DeWitt 
Clinton had become fully 
qualified for the office to 
which he was called by a 
special election and in 
which he was retained for 
three successive terms. 

The chief questions at 
issue pertained to the canal 

DeWitt Clinton. 1769-1728 ,.,,-, , i n - -, 

Governor. 1817-22. 1825-28 whlch had bCCU authorized 

by the legislature in the preceding year. Mr. Clinton 
had long been the leader of the canal party, and it 
was largely through his influence that the great enter- 
prise had been undertaken. 

Governor Tompkins, if not an opponent of the canal 
had been but a half-hearted advocate of it, and in his 
last message to the legislature he did not in any way 
refer to the subject. Mr. Clinton, as governor, was in 
a position to promote the great undertaking, and its 
construction was the chief event of his administration. 

The Erie canal. — In the first quarter of the century 
much of the State was practically valueless for the 
want of available markets. Lumber was rafted down 
the streams to tide-water, and grain was carried in 
cheap boats called " arks ", but the expense was heavy 

* In securing the passage of this bill he was materi- 
ally assisted by Caldwallader D. Colden, a grandson of 
Governor Colden of colonial times. 



1817] The Erie Caiial 369 

and often the grain spoiled on the way. Butter, wool, 
and other products were frequently hauled two hun- 
dred or even three hundred miles over the rough roads 
to Albany or ISTew York, and the expense of this long 
journey left very small margins for the producer. 

Until the Erie canal was completed the common 
route west was from Albany* (18) 15 miles over a pass- 
able turnpike to Schenectady (16); thence by boat up 
the Mohawk to Little Falls. The boat was flat-bot- 
tomed and was pushed up stream with poles; on it 
from three to ten tons could be carried. Around the 
drop at Little Falls a canal with eight locks had been 
built. From this place to Utica (15), then a thriving 
town, was a good channel. At Utica a part of the 
goods went to Rome (11), then through the small canal 
to Wood Creek, and thence through Oneida lake and 
the Onondaga river to Seneca river and Salt lake, 
where stood the town of Salina (Syracuse 9). 

By way of the Oswego river and Lake Ontario freight 
and passengers could go to Lewiston and thence to 
Niagara and the west, or overland from Erie, Pa., to 
the headwaters of the Allegany and by water again to 
Pittsburg. 

It is probable that the grand conception of uniting 
Lake Erie with the Hudson by one continuous water- 
way orginated in the mind of Gouverneur Morris f. 

In 1803 he submitted a plan in outline for the Erie 

*See Map on opposite page. 

t Gouverneur Morris was a graduate of King's col- 
lege. He was the associate of Robert Morris and was the 
*' literary" author of the United States constitution. 




370 Eakly Plans [Period IX 

canal to the State surveyor-general, who pronounced 

it impracticable*. 

In 1808 the legislature appropriated $600 for a sur- 
vey of the route. DeAVitt 
Clinton and Stephen Van 
Eensselaer became interested 
in the plan and in 1811 an 
act was passed providing for 
the " Improvement of the in- 
ternal navigation of the 
State". Clinton and Van 
Eensselaer, in December of 
that year, went before con- 

GOUVEKNEUR M ORRIS, 1752-1816 T , , i • 1 

gress and sought national 
aid. They failed, doubtless for the reason that many 
other States were seeking assistance for similar enter- 
prises. 

The matter had now gone so far that in June, 1812, 
the legislature authorized the commissioners to borrow 
$6,000,000 for the work on the credit of the State, 
but war with England breaking out in that year, the 
act was repealed and the enterprise postponed. 

The next step was taken in the autumn of 1816 
when meetings were held in New York and in Canan- 
daigua for the promotion of the canal project. 

The legislature soon after appointed a board of canal 
commissioners and appropriated $20,000 for necessary 
surveys. In March of the following year (1817) the 



* Mr. Morris's plan was for a canal with a uniform 
declivity from Lake Erie to the Hudson. Jesse Haw- 
ley, a prominent New York citizen wrote a series of 
essays in its favor. 



1817] Completion- 371 

board reported. Opposition came from nearly every 
quarter, but good common-sense finally prevailed, and 
on April 17 a bill was passed which assured the success 
of the undertaking. 

Completion of the canal. — Within three months 
work had begun and in the autumn of 1825 the canal 
was so far completed that on Oct. 26 the waters of 
Lake Erie were admitted and the first fleet of boats 
left Buffalo for New York. 

There was no telegraph to announce the event, but 
the news reached New York in one hour and twenty 
minutes by the successive discharges of cannon placed 
along the canal and Hudson river. 

The first fleet.— The departure of the fleet from 
Buffalo was made the occasion of a grand celebration. 
It was led by the barge " The Seneca Chief ^\ which was 
gaily decorated and carried a very distinguished party, 
among whom were Governor DeWitt Clinton, Lieu- 
tenant-Governor Tallmadge, General Stephen Van 
Eensselaer, and many invited guests. The passage of 
the flotilla through the State was an event of intense 
interest. Crowds greeted it at every hamlet and town. 
At Albany and New York bells were rung, cannon 
thundered and parades fllled the streets. 

Medals were struck, bearing on one side the images 
of Pan and Neptune, with the words "Union of Erie 
with Atlantic"; on the reverse side were the arms of 
the State and the words " Erie canal — commenced July 
4, 1817; completed October 26, 1825". 

The route. — Nature had provided the route. The 
waters of Lake Erie are 573 feet above tide-water. 



372 Route oe the Canal [Period IX 

The supply of water was abundant and constant. 
There were no great engineering difficulties; the dis- 
tance alone made it seem formidable. A large portion 
of the route lay along the Mohawk river, the level 
country about the central lakes, and the ancient shore 
of Lake Ontario, — the old Indian trail from the Hud- 
son to the Niagara. 

Opposition to the canal. — In the southern portion 
of the State, especially in those counties then just be- 
ginning to be factors in public affairs, there was much 
opposition to the canal. It was called, in ridicule, 
"The big ditch", "Clinton's ditch", the "Concep- 
tion of lunatics ". \t was condemned as a plan to tax 
the whole State for the benefit of Xew York and Al- 
bany. Men said it would be the financial ruin of the 
State. 

President Madison said its cost would exceed the 
revenues of the whole nation. Rufus King prophe- 
sied it would bankrupt the State, and one orator de- 
clared that "in future years " it would be "watered 
with the tears of posterity". It required a sublime 
faith in the future of the State to carry forward the 
work in the face of such opposition and ridicule. 

The lateral canals. — When the main canal was 
nearing its completion. Governor Clinton proposed and 
the legislature authorized the construction of numerous 
branches which should reach other sections of the State, 
— particularly those portions from which the chief op- 
position had come. 

The following were planned and begun: the Lake 
Champlain, the Oswego, the Cayuga and Seneca, the 



1817] Its Advantages 373 

Crooked lake, the Chemung, the Chenango, the Black 
river, and the Oneida canals, while State aid was also 
given to the Delaware and Hudson canal *. 

Advantages of the canal. — The cost of the canal, 
nine millions, seemed then a vast sum, but its comple- 
tion easily added four times that amount to the value 
of the real estate of New York. Eemembering that 
there was not then, nor for many years thereafter, a 
railroad in the country, estimate if possible the im- 
portance of an assured water-route from Buffalo to 
New York city, — from Lake Erie to the Atlantic, — 
with lateral canals penetrating to almost every part of 
the State. 

Its completion created towns where none had existed. 
It brought within reach of sea-board markets whole 
counties from which hardly a wagon-load of produce 
had ever been carried. In any town or settlement of 
the State a bushel of wheat, a barrel of pork, a firkin 
of butter had now a market value ; and in return for 
these the wares of eastern manufacturers began to find 
their way into the most distant settlements. 

SUMMARY 

1. Death of Governor (vice-president) George Clin- 
ton, 1812. 

2. Last act of Governor Tompkins's administrg,- 
tion. 

3. Governor DeWitt Clinton, and Erie canal. 

4. Transportation; difficulties, and need of better 
means. 

5. Origin of Erie canal. 

* Most of these canals are now abandoned. 



374 SUMMARY [Period IX 

6. First steps toward and iQterruption of. 

7. Progress of plans and final construction. 

8. First fleet and celebration. 

9. The route. 

10. Opposition to canal. 

11. The lateral canals. 

12. Advantages derived from. 



CHAPTER XLIII 

The State Constitutioin" of 1821 

Population of New York in 1820.— The popula- 
tion of the State had now risen to 1,400,000, of whom 
40,000 were colored, and 10,000 of these were slaves. 
This was an increase of 413,000 in ten years, largely 
due to the fact that a great proportion of the immi- 
grants entered at Xew York city and consequently re- 
mained in the State. These, for the most part, made 
desirable citizens. 

The prisons. — Xot all the conditions in Xew York 
State were favorable. Among the relics of a by-gone 
age, imprisonment for debt still remained. 

In JSTew York city alone, 1,984 debtors were im- 
prisoned in the year 1817, and more than 1,000 of 
these for debts under the sum of fifty dollars. Nor 
was this all. " The condition of the prisons everywhere 
was shocking to the last degree. A committee from 
the Humane Society found, among other evils, seventy- 
two women, sentenced for all sorts of crimes, confined 
in one room. The condition of the men's department 
was even worse. Sometimes the doors closed on a man 
and he was forgotten, — remaining a prisoner for years. 

The governor once reported that the prisons were so 
full he had been obliged to pardon some of the oldest offend- 
ers to make room for others^. Nor were these conditions 

* See McMaster, Vol. IV. 

(375) 



376 Origii^ of the Mormons [Period IX 

exceptional. They existed everywhere. At that time 
the " Humane Societies " were beginning to seek means 
for prison reform *. 

Origin of the Mormons. — In the year 1819, there 
lived in the town of Manchester, Ontario county, one 
Joseph Smith who early in life began to exhibit pecul- 
iar traits of character. His education was meagre ; he 
was visionary, fanatical in religious matters, and of 
not untarnished moral reputation. When about eigh- 
teen, he claimed to have supernatural visions and angel 
visitors. One of these visitors, according to his ac- 
count, told him where were buried certain ancient rec- 
ords of the original inhabitants of America, with their 
principles of government. They were to be found 
near the top of a hill now known as Mormon Hill f, in 
the town of Palmyra. These records Smith finally 
obtained and translated into poor English. 

This Book of Mormon w^as first published in Pal- 
myra in 1830, and in that vicinity the first converts to 
the new faith were made. 

There have been doubters who claimed that the 
Book of Mormon was written by one Solomon Spauld- 
ing of Cherry Valley, and that it was stolen and copied 
by Sidney Rigdon, a printer and convert. The original 
"Book" has been considerably improved upon since 
its first appearance. 

The story of the emigration of the Mormons to Ohio, 
to Nauvoo, Illinois, their persecutions, and their subse- 

* The act abolishing imprisonment for debt was 
passed by the legislature of Xew York April 26, 1831. 

t For picture of Morman Hill, see Bardeen's Geog- 
raphy of the Empire State, page 79. 



1830] ''The BucKTAiLs" 377 

quent removal to Utah, where they have several times 
threatened to disturb the peace of the republic, — all 
within the memory of men still living, — reads like a 
fanciful tale. 

New York politics in 1820. — A new element, led 
by the " Tammany society ", now entered into politics 
and attempted to defeat the re-election of Governor 
DeWitt Clinton. They were called " Bucktails "*. 
Their leader was Martin Van Buren and their professed 
object was to save the State from the " certain bank- 
ruptcy " into which Mr. Clinton was leading it. 

The new party issued an address calling themselves 
ex-federalists, stating that the federalist party being 
now defunct, they proposed to join the great " demo- 
cratic party". This was signed by fifty well-known 
opponents of Mr. Clinton, and they put in nomination 
for governor, Daniel D. Tompkins, then vice-president. 
The vote was large, — Mr. Clinton receiving 47,447 
votes; Mr. Tompkins 45,990. 

When great interests are at stake, when any danger 
threatens State or nation, the American people prove 
their loyalty to honest measures and constitutional 
government. At other times they often seem merely 
to play at a game which they call " politics ". 

Grovernment interference in State politics, 

1821. — In his message to the legislature (1821) Gov- 
ernor Clinton urged a change in the State constitution, 
which would take the choice of presidential electors 
from the legislature and give it to the people, while at 

* So called from their wearing, in processions, etc., 
the tail of a deer in their hats. 



378 CoNSTiTUTio^^AL Revision OF 1821 [Period IX 

the same time he vigorously denounced the use of 
federal patronage to influence State elections. 

The charge brought a storm of wrath from the men 
who had been engaged in this practice. They, in turn, 
charged Mr. Clinton with attempting "to sever the 
relations of allegience and good feeling between the 
general government and the State of New York ", 

Mr. Clinton replied by producing a mass of evidence, 
including a letter from Mr. Van Buren, asking for the 
removal of certain postmasters " to alarm the Clin- 
tonians in office ". The legislature responded by elect- 
ing Van Buren to the United States Senate, thereby 
defeating the governor's proposition. They did, how- 
ever, allow a convention to revise the old constitution 
made in 1777. 

Constitutional revision of 1821. — A special elec- 
tion for delegates to a constitutional convention was 
held in April, 1821, and in the following August those 
delegates assembled at the capitol in Albany. This 
convention was in session until November, and was 
presided ov^er by Daniel D. Tompkins. 

The first constitution had been an experiment, and 
many of its defects were now plainly seen. Its framers 
had intended to lay a broad foundation in a constitu- 
tion which should secure to every citizen all the rights 
to which, as a citizen, he was entitled; yet they had 
been so warned of the dangers that lurked under a 
free ballot that they hedged in the privileges of the 
elective franchise by so many safe-guards as practically 
to deprive many citizens of its benefits. To vote for 
governor, lieutenant-governor, or senators, a man must 
be a freeholder to the value of £100, above all debts 



1821] Changes Made 379 

charged thereon. To vote for members of assem.bly, 
he must own a freehold of £20 or pay an annual rent 
of forty shillings; yet persons who were freemen in 
the cities of Albany and New York could vote for 
members of assembly without property qualifications. 
Changes by the revision. — 1. The constitution of 
1821 extended the franchise to all white male citizens, 
of the age of 21 years who had paid taxes within the year 
or were exempt from taxation ; but colored persons were 
not allowed to vote unless they possessed a freehold 
worth $250 above all debts and incumbrances thereon. 

2. The council of revision was abolished and its 
powers were transferred to the governor. 

3. The council of appointment, which had become 
a gigantic institution, — in 1821 controlling 6,000 ap- 
pointments in the civil list and 8,000 in the military, 
— was abolished, and its powers divided between the 
governor and senate and the two houses in joint session. 

4. The entire judiciary of the State was made ap- 
pointive, even to justices of the peace. 

5. The establishment of new lotteries was prohib- 
ited, and those in existence* were regulated and their 
extinction provided for. 

6. The time of holding general elections was changed 
from April to November. 

7. Provision was made for a constitutional revision 
once in twenty years, and for amendments to the con- 
stitution at any time by a two-thirds vote of the legis- 
lature, after which all amendments were to be sub- 
mitted to the people. 

* For the benefit of schools. 



380 The Alban^y Regency [Period IX 

8. The term of the governor's office was changed 
from three to two years. 

These amendments were ratified February, 1822. 

The Albany regency. — At the time of the adop- 
tion of the new constitution in 1822, the politics of 
New York came into the hands of a group of men, 
who on account of their almost absolute control of 
State affairs were known as "the Albany regency". 
Of this combination Mr. Van Buren was the recog- 
nized leader. Among its members were William L. 
Marcy, State comptroller, Samuel L. Talcott, attor- 
ney-general, Benjamin Knower, treasurer, and Edwin 
Crosswell of the "Argus", State printer. 

To this powerful combination should be added, Silas 
Wright, Azariah C. Flagg, John A. Dix, James Por- 
ter, Thomas W. Olcott, and Charles E. Dudley. It is 
probable that no party in this country ever had a more 
powerful leadership. 

Governor Clinton became entirely powerless in the 
face of such a combination, and at the end of his 
term, 1822, by the advice of his friends he declined 
a re-nomination. 

New York under the revised constitution.— In 
1822 the first November election occurred. This was dur- 
ing Mr. Monroe's second term as president, — the period 
so often referred to as "the era of good feeling". 
After years of war and waste, times were improving 
and everywhere the people were inclined to give the 
general government a fair chance. Old parties and 
party lines had nearly disappeared. Federalists and 
anti-federalists, republicans, democrats, Clintonians, 




1822] The People's Party 381 

and bucktails laid aside their differences and united in 

electing Joseph C. Yates 
governor. At the meeting 
of the legislature in 1823 
the State government was 
organized under the new 
constitution. John Savage 
was made chief-justice of 
the supreme court; Nathan 
Sanford was appointed chan- 
josEPH c. Yates. 1768-1837 ccilor; J. Van JN CSS Yatcs, 
Governor, 1823-24 Secretary of statc ; W. L. 

Marcy, comptroller; S. A. Tallcott, attorney-general; 

and Simeon DeWitt, surveyor-general *. 

People's party. — The question of submitting the 
choice of presidential electors to the people was the 
leading issue in the Xovember elections of 1823. The 
refusal of the legislature to give this power to the 
people resulted in the formation of the "people's 
party", which in 1824, succeeded in carrying a num- 
ber of the counties. 

This legislature removed DeWitt Clinton from the 
office of canal commissioner, an act so evidently parti- 
san that it caused great indignation throughout the 
State. 

The result was his re-nomination and triumphant 
election in the following year (1824) to the office of 
governor, — a just recognition of his services to his 
State and country. 

*This office Mr. DeWitt held nearly fifty years. To 
him the State is indebted for the long list of classical 
names given to its interior towns. 



382 Visit of Lafayette ~ [Period IX 

Visit of Lafayette^ 1824.— The year 1824 is 
memorable for the visit of the illustrious Lafayette to 
our State and country. He came by invitation of the 
United States government, and landed in Xew York 
city Aug. 15 amid the ringing of bells, the salutes of 
artillery and the shouts of the people. 

In his course through the State he was everywhere 
received with manifestations of affection, and on his 
departure from the country a magnificent ovation was 
again given him in the metropolis. 

Questions settled. — Among the matters brought to 
a successful issue by Governor Clinton during his last 
term of office were the following. 

The people were at last allowed by ballot to select 
their own method of choosing presidential electors. 
They voted (1825) in favor of the " district plan ", 
one elector from each congressional district, the men 
thus selected choosing two additional electors. By 
this means, the vote of the State would very naturally 
be divided, as it was, subsequently, in 1828. 

In the next year, 1826, two other questions were 
submitted to the people. 

1. A proposition to allow justices of the peace to be 
chosen by the towns in which they served. Against 
this, only 1,663 votes were cast in the whole State. 

2. The extension of the elective franchise, by re- 
moving all property qualifications, except the one of 
1250 required for colored voters. This was also carried 
by a large majority. 

SUMMARY 

1. Reasons for rapid growth of population, 1820. 



1834] Summary 383 

2. Early prisons; conditions of; efforts for improve- 
ment. 

3. :N^ew York politics in 1820. 

4. First government interference with State politics. 

5. Constitutional revision of 1821; changes made. 

6. The "Albany regency"; leaders; power of. 

7. A quiet election, 1822; reasons for. 

8. The people's party; origin. 

9. War on Mr. Clinton, 1823; result of, 1824. 

10. Visit of Lafayette, 1824. 

11. Presidential electors; methods of choosing, 1826. 

12. Justices of the peace and elective franchise, 1826. 



CHAPTER XLIV 



Political Parties 

*^^ The Morgan affair". — There was living in 
Batavia, in 1826, one William Morgan, a Free Mason, 
who on account of some personal difi&culty announced 
his intention to publish a pamphlet exposing the 
secrets of free-masonry. 

Many contradictory stories of what followed have 
been reported; the exact facts will probably never 
be known. 

It is told that he was arrested on a charge of larceny 
made by the master of a masonic lodge; but on trial 
was pronounced "not guilty" and was discharged, to 
be immediately imprisoned for debt at Canandaigua. 
From that jail he disappeared. Masons were charged 
with abducting and drowning him in Niagara river. 
Thurlow Weed, then an editor in Rochester, under- 
took to fasten the crime on 
the masons. 

A body was found in the 
river which was claimed to 
be that of Morgan, and Weed 
was accused of mutilating 
this to make it resemble the 
abducted man. The crime 
was then charged to the anti- 
masons. 

The affair took a political 
(384) 




Thuklom- Weed. 1797-1882 



1825] Death of Daniel D. Tompkins 385 

turn, and spread to other States. The anti-masonic 
movement was led by some of the most aspiring politi- 
cal men of the time. 

New York and national politics. — Never in the 
history of the country were politics more complicated 
than in the campaign of 1824. Governor Clinton was 
at the height of his popularity, and was New York's 
choice for the presidency, but he declined to consider 
the nomination. There were five candidates in the 
field. The vote of New York was divided — thirty of 
her electors voting for General Jackson, and sixteen 





John Quinct Abams, 1769-1848 Andrew Jackson, 1767-1845 

President. 1825-29 President, 1829-37 

for John Quincy Adams. The electoral college failing 
to make a choice, the election went to the house of 
representatives, and Mr. Adams was declared president. 
Death of Daniel D. Tompkins, 1825.— Daniel D. 
Tompkins had served his State and country long and 
well, but his last days were clouded with suspicion. 
During his administration, while the finances of both 
State and nation were being taxed to their utmost. 
Governor Tompkins had taken grave responsibilities 
which his enemies used to his injury. 



386 Death of DeWitt Clinton [Period IX 

Broken in health and spirit, and charged with being 
a debtor to the State in the sum of more than $100,- 
000, he died June 11, 1825. 

Posterity has been more just to him than his con- 
temporaries. Years after his death it was found that 
the State was debtor to him for 192,000. Justice 
came late, but it exonerated the memory of a man who 
in life was the victim of unrelenting partisan hate. 

Death of DeWitt Clinton. — DeWitt Clinton was 
for the last time elected governor in 1826. The wis- 
dom of his policy of internal improvements had been 
fully demonstrated; his bitterest enemies conceded his 
ability. In the second year of his term, in his own 
home, surrounded by his family he died, February 11, 
1828, without an hour's illness. 

The voice of criticism was hushed. Men reviewed 
his life, recognized its worth and mourned his loss. 

The purity of his private character was never ques- 
tioned, and after his long term of 33 years in the public 
service, at the very summit of his popularity, he died 
poor. The State, in recognition of his worth and dis- 
tinguished public service provided for his minor chil- 
dren by voting to them 18,000, — the salary for the time 
their father had served as canal commissioner without 
pay. 

It has often been said that DeWitt Clinton loved 
New York as no other man ever loved it. His critics 
are already forgotten, but the passage of the years has 
only added fresh lustre to his name. 

The remainder of Mr. Clinton's term was tilled by 
Lieutenant-Governor Pitcher. 



1828] 



The State Banks 



387 



Martin Tan Buren, governor; Andrew Jack- 
son^ president, 1828.— 

Again occurred at the same 
time, the election of gover- 
nor of New York and pres- 
ident of the United States. 
Martin Van Buren was at 
this time the most skilful 
political leader in the State, 
and he threw the whole 
weight of his influence for 




Martin Van Buren, 1782 
Governor, 1828-29 
President, 1837-41 



General Jackson, — ^the hero 



of New Orleans — carried 
New York for him, and was himself elected governor. 

In his first message to the legislature (1829) Gover- 
nor Van Buren advised the establishment of a safety- 
fund for the redemption of notes of the State banks, 
and liberal appropriations for education. 

He also proposed a change in the method of choos- 
ing presidential electors. The district plan of 1825 
had proved unsatisfactory. By act of legislature passed 
April 15, 1829, the present system, — by one general 
State ticket, — was adopted. 

State banks ; the safety fund. — The banks of the 
State, until the passage of the free-banking law of 
1838, were part of a gigantic monopoly. No charters 
could be granted except by a vote of two-thirds of 
both houses of the legislature. The State banks were 
very profitable, and the stock was distributed to poliri- 
cal favorites as a reward for services rendered. 



388 The Workingmen's Party [Period IX 

By recommendation of Governor Van Buren the 
legislature established a safety fund, each bank con- 
tributing a percentage as a guarantee of the redemp- 
tion of the notes of all. 

Though the system was by no means perfect, to this 

^,^ law was largely due the fact 

^^B^P^ ^ that bills of New York State 

""■"^^^^^^^^ banks w^ere for a number of 

^i^^^^m^H^ years preferred to those from 

^^^^H any other State. 

,^^^HHB^B|^^W Buren accepted the position 
^^■H ^■^^Hpr Qf secretary of state, under 
^^^H^^^^^^^ President Jackson. Lieuten- 
ant-Governor Throop a s - 

Enos Thompson Throop. 1784-1874 ^ 

Governor. 1829-33 SUmcd the officC of gover- 

nor, and was elected to that office in 1830. 

Silas Wright, Thurlow Weed, William H. 
Seward. — Three men who were destined to exert a 
wide influence on the affairs of New York came into 
prominence at this time. Silas Wright was born in 
Massachusetts in 1795; Thurlow Weed in Xew York 
in 1797; and AVilliam H. Seward in New York in 1801. 

This trio of sagacious, far-seeing politicians had 
much to do with Xew York history in the next thirty 
years ; Mr. Wright as a financier, Mr. Weed as a jour- 
nalist, Mr. Seward as a public speaker and statesman. 

The workingmen's party. — Until 1830 Xew York 
city had really governed the State, but now the rapid 
growth of the interior towns began to demand recogni- 



1830] The Whig Party 389 

tion in politics, and those in public affairs were learn- 
ing that they could not reckon without the people in 
the smaller towns and rural districts. 

A " workingmen's party" was now formed, which 
in its platform declared that the laboring people did not 
receive their share of public offices. Politicians flocked 
into this new party and soon controlled it. Manu- 
facturers and farmers demanded recognition. Con- 
gress was asked to protect certain industries by suffi- 
cient duties on imports. New York had become an 
agricultural State, and slavery was everywhere regarded 
as an enemy of free labor. 

The anti-slavery feeling was growing, and so gradu- 
ally one question after another crept in to disturb 
what had become known as " Knickerbocker rule " in 
the State. - 

The whig party had its birth in Xew York in 
1832. James Watson Webb, editor of the " Xew 
York Courier and Enquirer", while in attendance up- 
on the anti-masonic convention which nominated Wil- 
liam Wirt for president, in a letter to his paper pro- 
posed the union of all President Jackson's opponents. 
He claimed that the president was guilty of every sort 
of usurpation, and speaking of Jackson's supporters 
said, " They are tories; we, therefore, who oppose him 
are whigs "*. For many years the name was used to 
designate the opposition to the democratic party. 

* A reference to English politics during the Ameri- 
can revolution. 



390 



GoYERNOR William L. Marcy [Period IX 




William Learned >L\rcy. 1786-18 
Governor, 1833-39 



William L. Marcy, governor. —In 183.e William 
L. Marcy resigned his seat 
in the United States senate, 
to become governor of Xew 
York*. He was a man of 
wide education, experienced 
in public affairs, and eminent 
in his profession as a law- 
yer. He was twice re-elected 
to the office of governor. 

With Xew York's "favor- 
ite son" in President Jack- 
son's cabinet, and Mr. Marcy governor, it was evident 
that the State would be "kept in line" for Jackson 
in his fight already begun against the United States 
bank. 

This was made doubly certain, when in 1831, Mr. 

Van Buren having been 
appointed Minister to Eng- 
land during the summer re- 
cess, and having gone prop- 
erly accredited to the Court 
of St. James, the senate, 
under the leadership of 
Henry Clay, refused to con- 
firm him. 

When Mr. Van Buren re- 
henry Clay. 1777-1852 tumed to his homc a pri- 

vate citizen, by the "malice" of the whig majority 
the United States senate, a wave of indignation swept 




* His place in the senate was filled by Silas Wright, 



1832] Summary 391 

over the State. Indeed, no more impolitic course 
could have been taken. Mr. Van Buren's friends 
carried the State for Jackson in 1832, and trium- 
phantly elected their "favorite" to the presidency 
four years later. 

SUMMARY 

1. "Morgan affair", 1826. 

2. Xew York politics, 1824. 

3. Death of Governor Tompkins, 1825. 

4. Death of Governor DeWitt Clinton, 1828; his 
character and services. 

5. Martin Van Buren governor, 1828; bank plans. 

6. Nature of early banks. 

7. Silas Wright, Thurlow Weed, William H. Sew- 
ard. 

8. N^ew parties, workingmen's; whigs, tories. 

9. Knickerbocker rule in the State. 

10. Mr. Van Buren minister to England ; his rejec- 
tion and the result. 



CHAPTER XLV 
The Paxic of l!^37 

The United States bank.— This institution was 
founded with a capital of 35 millions, and it held a 
deposit of public funds to the amount of 7 millions. 

Its circulation was 12 millions and its annual dis- 
counts amounted to 40 millions. Its charter would 
expire in 1836 and its renewal had been requested. 
Xew York instructed her representatives to vote 
against this. The bill passed, but was vetoed by Presi- 
dent Jackson. The ground of his attack on the bank 
was variously stated. His friends said it was a politi- 
cal machine and was " unsound " ; his enemies insisted 
that his opposition grew out of a personal quarrel. 

The president determined to abolish the bank but 
he first secured an investigation into its affairs. The 
house of representatives expressed its confidence in 
the bank by a vote of 109 to 46. 

There was a peculiar provision of law requiring that 
the United States funds should be deposited in this 
bank " itnless the secretary of the treasury should otherwise 
determine ' ' . 

The president placed William Duane of Philadelphia 
in the treasury department for the purpose of diverting 
the deposits to other institutions. Duane refused to 
do as he was expected; he was therefore removed, and 
Roger B. Taney was transferred from the attorney- 

(392) 



1833] United States Deposit Fund 393 

general's office to that of secretary of the treasury. 
He ordered the removal of the funds. By this arrange- 
ment, all payiiients ivere made from the bank, but all 
deposits were made elsewhere in certain selected State 
banks, thereafter known as ^^ Pet banks ^\ By this 
means the funds were soon all removed from the United 
States b?*nk*. 

United States deposit fund^ 1832.— The United 
States had now no debt, and the revenues were in 
excess of expenses. The question was, what shall be 
done with the surplus ? 

In June, 1836, a bill passed congress by which the 
surplus was to be divided among the several States in 
proportion to their representation in congress. 

The amount to be divided was $37,468,859.97; New 
York's portion was $4,014,520.71. This was considered 
in the light of a deposit fund, and Xew York has 
always so regarded her share. It has been kept invio- 
late, it has been loaned out by commissioners appointed 
for that purpose, and the income therefrom has been 
annually applied to school purposes. It appeal's in our 
reports as the " United States Deposit Fund ". In 
many States it has through bad investments been 
entirely lost. 

The newspaper period. — The years from 1830 to 
1835 may properly be called the " newspaper period ", 

-i^ About this time some copper medals were struck off 
representing on one side a donkey with an iron-bound 
safe marked " U. S. Bank" on his back, driven by 
Andrew Jackson with a club. On the reverse side was 
the legend " U. S. Bank Veto ", with the date. These 
medals are now very rare. 



394 Rise of Great Xewspapers [Period IX 

as it was in these years they made their greatest devel- 
opment, and came into prominence as political factors. 
Until this time newspapers did not search for news ; 
they waited for news to come to them. Xow came in 
the " reporter ", who sought news. Swift sailing 
sloops and schooners went out to meet incoming ships, 
and news from the old world was frequently in print 
before the ships had anchored in the bay *. 

This was no doubt due to the class of men then at 
the head of metropolitan journals, and also to the in- 
creased demand for news on account of the establish- 
ment of post offices and mail routes. 

The Evening Post was then published by William 
CuUen Bryant and William 
Leggett. James Watson 
Webb began publishing the 
Morning Courier and En- 
quirer in 1830. Benjamin 
H. Day issued the first num- 
ber of the Sun in 1833. The 
Albany Evening Journal was 
established by Bryant in 

William CULLEN Bryant. 1794-1878 18 3 0, and JamCS GordoU 

Bennett began publishing the Herald in 1835. The 
Spirit of the Times, the first sporting paper, was pub- 
lished in 1831, and the Staats Zeitung in 1834 f. 




* The first newspaper to intercept incoming packets 
for this purpose, was the New York Journal of Com- 
merce in 1830. 

t The New York Associated Press was organized in 
1849, and newspapers were first stereotyped in 1857. 



1835] A Period of Riots 395 

The period of riots. — The years 1830 to 1835 were 
also notable for the disturbances caused by the dis- 
orderly elements in New York city. Police protection 
was then entirely insufficient. The naturalization 
laws were defective and almost any foreigner could 
become a full-fledged citizen on short notice. 

Such voters could easily be used by demagogues to 
control elections, and in time they became an element 
very difficult to manage. Elections were then held 
for three days. Mobs of these "citizens" invaded 
committee rooms and voting places, tore down banners 
and election notices, and terrorized the officers of 
the law. They even threatened the newspapers that 
dared to condemn their acts, and once marched to the 
office of the Courier and Enquirer on Wall street with 
the intent to demolish it. There they found a de- 
termined man, Colonel Webb, in command of a well- 
organized body of employes, prepared to defend the 
place. Their discretion proving better than their 
valor, the mob retired. They were not entirely quelled 
until the mayor called out the "National Guard" 
(7th regiment) when they dispersed. 

The great Are, 1835.— On Dec. 16, 1835, the city 
of New York was visited by its most disastrous fire. 
In a few hours, property to the value of 20 millions 
was laid in ashes. The night was bitterly cold, the 
water supply insufficient, the fire apparatus antiquated. 
Ice froze in the pipes ; the hose was useless. A violent 
wind swept the fire northward, and "fire proof" 
buildings melted before it. The only possible means 
of saving any part of the city was at last resorted to. 
Powder was obtained and whole blocks were mined and 



396 The Panic of 1837 [Period IX 

blown to atoms. Insurance companies were generally 
ruined, and great distress followed. From such 
scourges ultimate good usually comes. Protection to 
life, health, and property now demanded adequate 
water-works. 

The Crotou aqueduct.— Immediately after the fire, 
steps were taken to provide the city with an abundant 
supply of pure water. A commission was appointed, 
and surveys were at once begun. It took ten years to 
complete the work, and when, on July 4, 1842, the 
Croton river was turned into the reservoir, l^ew York 
city indulged in one of the greatest celebrations it had 
ever known. 

The panic of 1837.— When in 1832, President 
Jackson vetoed the bill re-chartering the United States 
bank, it became necessary to close up its affairs. The 
old charter expired in 1836 and in preparation for this 
the directors began to retrench and collect. 

Times had been prosperous, and throughout the 
country there had sprung up a wild spirit of specula- 
tion. This was particularly true in Xew York, and 
when the order from the bank went out to all parts 
of the Union, " Pay up! " it fell with a special sever- 
ity on our State. It is probably true that this sudden 
curtailment was exercised the more stringently against 
Xew York banks and business men, because of Mr. 
Van Buren's ardent support of President Jackson. 
The effect was felt throughout the State. The debtor 
class was very large, and the distress became general. 
Banks failed, business firms suspended operations, 
and large numbers of men were thrown out of em- 
ployment. 



1837] The Patriot War 397 

The patriot war. — In 1837 an event occurred 
which for a time threatened to disturb our peaceful 
relations with England. There was an outbreak in 
the Canadian provinces bordering on Xew York which 
enlisted the sympathies of many Americans, and in 
December, 1837, nearly 1,000 New Yorkers joined 
their fortunes to those of the Canadian rebels. 

They seized Navy Island in Niagara river, where 
they were joined by Mackenzie, the Canadian leader. 
Their camp was soon broken up by regular troops, 
and Mackenzie fled to the United States. 

The governor of Canada made requisition for his 
surrender, but Governor Marcy refused to deliver him 
up. Eaids continued along the whole border until 
President Van Buren sent General Winfield Scott with 
troops to suppress them. 

SUMMARY 

1. United States bank; pet banks. 

2. Origin and use of " United States Deposit 
Fund", 1832. 

3. Growth of newspapers; prominent papers, 1830- 
1835. 

4. Riots of 1830 to 1835; causes of. 

5. Great fire in New York city, 1835. 

6. Croton aqueduct, 1842. 

7. The panic of 1837. 

8. The "patriot war" of 1837. 



CHAPTER XLVI 
Growth of Anti-Slayery Sentiment 

^^The irrepressible conflict", 1836-1860.— 

The anti-slavery sentiment was now becoming more 
pronounced in most of the northern and eastern States. 
To succeed to the presidency, Mr. Van Buren seemed 
to think it necessary to oppose all anti-slavery move- 
ments, — virtually espousing the cause of slavery. In 
this he was followed by Governor Marcy and the whole 
democratic party of New York. 

Here, we may say, began that great struggle between 
freedom and slavery, which Mr. Seward a few years 
later styled " the irrepressible conflict ". The whigs, 
under the leadership of Mr. Seward, dared not cham- 
pion the cause of abolition, so they brought up other 
issues. They charged the terrible financial condition 
of the country to the democrats, and laid upon them 
all the miseries of the "hard times" from which 
people were suffering. 

But "abolition societies" were already forming in 
the State and the attitude 
which Mr. Van Buren had 
taken antagonized many old 
time democrats. He secured 
the presidency in 1836, but 
his own State went for the 
whig ticket overwhelmingly 
in 1837, and William H. Sew- 
ard was elected governor of 
WILLIAM HEN^^^I^ARD, 1801-1872 ^^Gw York by the same party 
Governor, 1839-1843 in 1838 and rs-elected in 1840. 

(398) 




1838] The Fugitive Slave Question 399 

Mr. Seward on the development of New York. 

— One paragraph in Seward's first message to the 
legislature indicates so well the position of Xew York 
among the States at this period that it may be quoted : 

" History furnishes no parallel to the financial 
achievements of this State. It surrendered (1.786) its 
share in the national domain, and relinquished for the 
general welfare all the revenues of its foreign com- 
merce, equal generally to two-thirds of the entire expen- 
diture of the federal government. It has nevertheless 
sustained the expenses of its own administration, 
founded and endowed a broad system of education, 
charitable institutions for every class of the unfortun- 
ate, and a penitentiary establishment which is adopted 
as a model by civilized nations. 

" It has increased four-fold the wealth of its citizens 
and relieved them from direct taxation, and in addition 
to all this, has carried forward a stupendous enterprise 
of improvement, all the while diminishing its debts, 
magnifying its credit, and augmenting its resources." 

Conflict with the slave power. — During Governor 
Seward's first term he had a long correspondence with 
the governor of Virginia on the fugitive slave ques- 
tion. This controversy well illustrates the divided 
sentiment of our State at that time. 

A slave escaped from Virginia and came to New 
York. Three negroes were accused of " stealing " 
him. The governor of Virginia demanded the sur- 
render of the " fugitives from justice ". Mr. Seward 
refused to surrender them on the ground that the laws 
of New York did not recognize any such crime as 
"stealing" men. He submitted the correspondence 



400 " Tippecanoe and Tyler too " [Period IX 

to the legislature. That body sustained the governor 
of Virginia, and directed Mr. Seward to return the 
fugitives. This he declined to do, and public senti- 
ment sustained him in his course. 

Mr. Seward's second term was chiefly notable for his 
efforts in behalf of education. In this work he was 
ably seconded by Mr. John C. Spencer, secretary of 
state and ex-officio superintendent of schools. 

Political parties of 1840. — In the campaign of 
1840, the whig party swept the country and elected for 
president William Henry Harrison, the "hero of Tip- 
pecanoe"*. He died after he had been president a 
month, and Vice-President Tvler succeeded him. 




William Henry Harrison. 1773-1841 John Tyler, 1790-1862 

President, 1841 President. 1841-45 

*This was called the " hard cider " campaign, the 
term originating as follows : General Harrison had once 
lived in a log house in the west, and was noted for his 
"hospitality ". In the campaign, particularly in New 
York, log houses were built in which political meetings 
were held, and in these hard cider was so freely dis- 
pensed to old and young that often the meetings de- 
generated into carousals. 




1839-46] Anti-Rent Troubles 401 

Whig government in New York, however, ended as 
suddenly as it began. In the 
fall of 1842, that party was 
completely routed, and Wil- 
liam C. Bouck, the demo- 
cratic candidate, was elected. 
The " abolitionists " had 
now become a distinct organ- 
ization, and their candidate 
received 7,000 votes. 

WILLIAM c. BoxicK, 1786-1859 ^he name " locof ocos ' ' was 
Governor, 1843-45 given to the Van Buron wing 

of the democracy because of their extravagant financial 
doctrines. They were anti-monopolists, were hostile 
to banks and all corporations, and talked much of 
" equal rights "*. 

The anti-rent troubles of 1839-1846 grew out 
of conditions which had existed for many years. 

In the western portion of the State the Holland 
Land company had sold large tracts of land to indi- 
vidual purchasers on long time, under mortgage. 

In many cases the holders of the land had been 
unable to pay, and when an attempt was made to collect 
the principal and all accrued interest, resistance fol- 
lowed. 

The chief troubles occurred in Rensselaer county 

* At one of their meetings the opposition managed to 
extinguish the gas. Matches had just come into use 
and were called " lucifers " or "locofocos". The 
Van Buren party were ready with these in their pockets 
to re-light the hall, and from this incident were called 
'■' locofocos ". 



402 Parties split into Factions [Period IX 

on the estates of the patroon, Van Rensselaer. In 
1839 the heirs demanded, besides long arrears of 
interest, their right to one-fourth of the produce. 
To this the tenants objected. 

Thousands of farmers formed themselves into anti- 
rent associations. These secret bands committed so 
many illegal acts that Governor Seward issued a procla- 
mation against them and the sheriff called a posse of 
some 700 men to assist him in serving papers. 

The militia companies from Albany and Troy were 
called out. These with the sheriff's posses were checked 
for a while by the anti-renters, and several persons 
were killed. 

In 18^i0 the governor advised legislative enactment 
for the adjustment of the difficulties. To this the 
tenants consented, but now the landlords refused to 
agree to the settlement proposed. In 1845 violence 
was repeated; many arrests were made, but convictions 
were difficult. Xo legal remedy was applied until the 
constitutional revision of 1846, when the whole trouble 
was permanently settled. 

Party divisions. — The subject of slavery was now 
entering more and more into Xew York politics, and 
the great democratic party was split into two factions. 

The term " barn-burners " was given to that wing of 
the party which was opposed to slavery, and which 
sympathized with the anti-renters, who had burned 
barns. These were radicals. The "hunkers" were 
old-time democrats, — unprogressive and conservative. 
This division threatened the entire overthrow of the 
party in this State. 

The whigs were also divided by the formation of a 



1846] 



Parties split into Factions 



403 



small faction known as the " native American party ". 

This disintegration of the old parties was but one 
step toward the process of re-organization, sure to 
come in a few years, when all political forces would 
be arranged oii opposite sides of the " slavery question ". 

In 1844 Silas Wright was elected governor of JN^ew 





James Knox Polk, 1795-1849 
President. 1845-49 



Silas Wright, 1795-184'; 
Governor, 1845-47 



York, and the same year James K. Polk was elected 
president over Henry Clay. 

SUMMARY 

1. The irrepressible conflict; leaders, parties and 
their position. 

2. Politics of 1836, 1837, 1838. 

3. Mr. Seward on " development of Xew York ". 

4. Seward's conflict with slave-power. 

5. Hard cider campaign; locofocos. 

6. Anti-rent troubles, east and west. 

7. Partv divisions; " barn-burners " and "hunkers". 



CHAPTER XLVir 
During the Mexican War 

Constitutional revision of 1846. — DuriDg the 
preceding twenty-five years, ten different proposals for 
amendments to the constitution had been made. In 
all of these the tendency had been away from the old 
idea of "privileges" for the people and in the direc- 
tion of "rights" for the masses. After many efforts 
to secure these rights, the people now chose their own 
presidential electors. The franchise had been ex- 
tended and. cities were allowed to elect their own 
mayors, but there were yet many matters concerning 
which the people differed radically from their rulers. 

The patroon system which still existed was the source 
of many difficulties. The annual expenditures of 
large sums for internal improvements had produced 
a heavy debt. It was necessary that extra safe guards 
should be placed about appropriations, and provision 
be made for extinguishing the debt. The judicial sys- 
tem was quite independent of the people and needed 
radical reformation. When, therefore, the question 
of revision was submitted, the vote was almost a unan- 
imous one in its favor. 

Important changes. — The covention met at Al- 
bany, October 9, 1846, and was presided over by Ex- 
Lieutenant Governor Tracy. The most important 
changes made were as follows : 

(404) 



1846] Changes by the Constitution^ of 1846 405 

1. Provision was made for the election of members 
to both houses of the State legislature by separate 
districts. 

2. The court of errors was abolished and the court 
of appeals was established. 

3. The court of chancery was merged into the 
supreme court. 

4. All judges and justices of the peace were made 
elective by the people. 

5. All feudal tenures were abolished, and the title 
to lands made " allodial ", i. e., freehold*. 

6. Sinking funds were provided for the canal and 
general debts. 

7. The loan of the credit of the State was forbidden. 

8. The school and literature funds were declared 
inviolate. 

9. Provision was made for the creation of corpora- 
tions. 

10. The question of revision was required to be 
submitted to the people once in every twenty years. 

The amendments were adopted by a majority vote of 
130,000. It is doubtful if the history of any other 
State or country can show such rapid and successful 
progress in the direction of turning the business of 
the government over to the people, for whose benefit 
all free governments are instituted. 

The Mexican war, 1845-1847. — During Governor 
Wright's administration the war with Mexico began. 

* This settled the anti-rent troubles. Under the con- 
stitutional provision agricultural lands could not be 
leased for a longer term than twelve years, if any rent 
or service was reserved. 



406 The Mexican War [Period IX 

New York furnished only 3,000 men, but kept on her 
even way, developing her resources and making pub- 
lic improvements. 

With rare exceptions New York men of all parties 
opposed the steps that resulted in the war with Mex- 
ico. They were opposed to the admission of Texas as 
being a scheme for the extension of slavery. 

They opposed the president's action in the boundary 
dispute as a plan to secure more slave territory, and 
behind hie war policy they saw a design to wrest from 
Mexico additional slave States. 

But true to their natural instincts, once the war 
began, men condoned the 
crime and gloried in the 
success of our arms. 

The war opened the eyes 
of our people to the growing 
demands of the slave power 
and intensified the feeling 
that already existed against 
slavery. 

JOHN Yotr.o, 1802-1852 ^^ ^^^^ ^l^Ction of 1846, 

Governor, 1847-49 the whigs and anti-rcntcrs 

combined and elected John Young governor of New 
York. 

The ^*^ woman's rights movement" had its origin 
at Seneca Falls, July 19, 1848, when a party of ladies 
and gentlemen met in that village and, for the first time, 
brought the legal wrongs of woman before the public. 
Present at that meeting were Mr. James Mott, who 
presided, his wife, Mrs. Lucretia Mott, Mrs. Elizabeth 
Cady Stanton, Mrs. xA.melia Bloomer, Mr. Ansel Bas- 




1848] " WoMAi^'s Rights Movement " 407 

com, a lawyer of Seneca Falls, and a member of the 
constitutional convention of 1846, Mr. Thomas Mc- 
Clintock, a Quaker preacher, Frederick Douglas, the 
colored orator, and many others. To Mr. Ansel Bas- 
com and David Dudley Field must be given most credit 
for those amendments to N'ew York State laws, which 
have given woman many of the rights which she now 
possesses. 

Until near the middle of the present century, the 
rights and responsibilities of married women, were in 
nearly all the States governed by the practices and 
customs of the " common law " of England. By 
those laws, woman's rights were, at marriage, merged 
in those of her husband. Apart from him she could 
own no property, could make no contracts, could not 
collect or use her own earnings, nor control her own 
children. On the death of the husband, his personal 
property went at once to his legal heirs, the wife being 
entitled only to a life lease of one-third his real estate. 
And this was true no matter how large the' wife's share 
may have been in the accumulation of the property. 

In her address before the Seneca Falls meeting, Mrs. 
Stanton boldly declared in favor of the enactment of 
such laws as should protect married women in their 
property rights, and for this purpose demanded that 
the ballot should be placed in their hands. This meet- 
ing was followed by others, in all parts of the State. 
Public sentiment was divided. Many ridiculed the 
movement, but the earnestness of its advocates and 
the justness of their cause soon won recognition. 



408 The Free Soil Party [Period IX 

Gradually laws were enacted which gave to woman th& 
full property rights which she now enjoys. She may 
retain, hold and devise all property of which she was 
possessed at marriage. She may make contracts and 
conduct business in her own name; may collect, hold 
and use her own earnings; may sue and be sued and 
confess judgment; and may retain at least a one-third 
interest in all a deceased husband's property, personal 
as well as real. 

The effects of this movement have been wide-spread. 
In 27 States woman suffrage is now recognized in some 
form. In 20 of these, women have school suffrage ; in 
one, Kansas, full municipal suffrage; while four, 
AYyoming, Colorado, Utah, and Idaho, grant full suff- 
rage and the right to hold office. 

Free soilers. — The first " free soil " convention in 
the State was held in 1848. The Polk faction of the 
democratic party chose delegates to the national con- 
vention to meet at Baltimore in May, and they put an 
electoral ticket in nomination. There was in Xew 
York a large wing of the party which opposed their 
action. These not only chose a delegation to the Bal- 
timore convention, but issued a call for a convention 
to meet at Utica, in February. They were known as 
''free soilers", "radicals", or "barn-burners", and 
were opposed to the further extension of slavery. 

The Baltimore convention attempted to divide the 
two delegations and admit one-half of each. To this 
proposition the free soil delegates objected. They 
withdrew and went to Xew York city, where they held 



1848] The Buffalo Cokvbntion 409 

a great meeting in city hall park, — the scene of so 
many stirring events in our history. 

They condemned the cowardice of the delegation 
which had voted with the pro-slavery party of the 
south, and issued to the democracy of the State a 
warning address written by Samuel J. Tilden, in which 
they called for independent action. 

The Buifalo convention. — The result was the call 
for a national free soil convention to meet at Buffalo 
in August, 1848, over which Charles Francis Adams 
presided. 

Benjamin Franklin Butler*, of 'New York, pre- 
sented the resolutions, which contained these remark- 
able words : ' ' Congress has no more poioer to make a slave 
than to make a king,'' and also gave to the country that 
great anti-slavery war-cry: '^ We inscribe on our banner 
free soil, free speech, free labor, and free men. ' ' 

This convention nominated Martin Van Buren for 
the presidency, and Charles Francis Adams for the 
vice-presidency. 

Thus New York took the lead in the movement that 
at last swept slavery from the whole country. 

Of the men who participated in this convention, 
many became conspicuous leaders in the great anti- 
slavery uprising of 1856. 

The campaign of 1848 came on, and it is doubtful if 
a more exciting one ever occurred. The result was a 
victory for the whigs, and the election of Zachary Tay- 

* A lineal descendant of Oliver Cromwell, born 1795, 
died 1858. He must be distinguished from Gen. But- 
ler of Massachusetts of the same name, born 1818, 
died 1893. 



410 



Summary 



[Period TX 





Zachary Taylor. 1784-1850 
President. 1849-50 



Millard Fillmore, 1800-1874 
President. 1850-53 



lor to the presidency. Millard Fillmore, a distinguished 
citizen of Xew York became vice-president, and Ham- 





Hajiilton Fish, 1809-1893 
Governor. 1849-50 



Wa<iiin..tux 1Ilm\ 1811-1867 
Governor, 1851-2 



ilton Fish was elected governor of the State. In 1850, 
Washington Hunt, also a whig, was elected to the 
governor's office. 

SUMMARY 

1. Constitutional revision of 1846. 

2. The Mexican war. 

3. The woman's rights movement. 

4. The free soil party. 

5. Election of Taylor and Fillmore. 




CHAPTEK XLVIII 

Prohibitory Legislation 

New York again tlemocratic. — In 1852 Horatio 

-_ Seymour, a prominent 

y^' \ democrat, was elected gov- 

\. ernor of New York. 

vV ^». '\ Two events of this ad- 

** \ minstration should be not- 

/ ed. One was the transfer in 

1853 of the schools of New 

York city, which had been 

under the management of 

the "public school soci- 

HoRATio Seymour, 1810-1886 ety ", iuto the COUtrol of a 

GOVERNOR, 1853-54: 1863-64 ^^^^^ ^^ educatiou. The 

second was the re-establishment of the office of State 
superintendent of schools. 

Rights and duties. — So far, in the history of the 
State, "the people" had been largely interested in 
securing their rights. These they had now obtained, 
and with the spirit born of free institutions, they be- 
gan to turn their attention to what they considered 
their duties; matters which then seemed to demand 
reformation. Chief among these were slavery and the 
liquor traffic. 

Anti-slavery sentiment. — When slavery was abol- 
ished in the State (1827) no particular moral considera- 

(411) 



412 Anti-Slavery Sentimejs^t [Period IX 

tions entered into the question. But with the lapse 
of years came a new generation that remembered 
nothing of slavery in New York, and each time a 
slave escaped from a southern plantation and enatered 
the State their sympathies were stirred. 

The " Dred Scott decision", the passage of the 
"fugitive slave law", the 
repeal of the " Missouri com- 
promise ", Mr. Seward's " ir- 
repressible conflict" 
speeches, and, especially, 
the appearance of Mrs. 
Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cab- 
,_^^_^ in", had all created a senti- 
■"^^-!. ^fl^^^^ ment against slavery which 
politicians could not control. 

Harriet Beecher Stowe. i i t 

1812-1896 As a consequence, the aboli- 

tion, or at least the restriction of slavery was counted 
among the "duties" about which every candidate for 
office was severely catechised. 

The Lemon case. — The feeling in Xew York 
against slavery had been greatly intensified by a case 
which occurred in 1852. One Jonathan Lemon from 
Virginia brought eight slaves to Xew York city, in- 
tending to ship them to Texas. 

On application by some members of an abolition 
society. Judge Paine of the supreme court granted a 
writ of hahms corjvis. They were brought before him, 
and, under a law forbidding slavery in the State, were 
set free and helped to escape to Canada. 

Other cases followed. The opinions of the people 
were not all one way. Many declared that slaves must 




1853] The Crystal Palace Expositio:^ 413 

be given up, but very few when called upon would 
assist in catching a runaway. 

One judge who had been particularly severe in open 
court, actually hid some fugitives in his barn, and 
shortly the " underground railroad" was in operation 
all over the State. 

The crystal palace exliibition of 1853.— An ex- 
hibition had been held in London in 1851 which aroused 
a genuine spirit of emulation in America. The result 
was a similar exhibit in New York city in 1853-54. 
This was the first concerted plan to exhibit to the 
world the products of America. It has been com- 
pletely eclipsed by many others since, yet probably none 
of its successors have done more to make the United 
States known to the old world. 

Until that time it was not supposed that America 
contained anything to interest Europeans, except her 
scenery and her big game, and newspapers gravely told 
stories of the surprise of Englishmen at "seeing so 
large a town and no Indians". There was genuine 
surprise at the extent and quality of American manu- 
factures. This fair was the beginning of American 
competition in European markets, especially in agri- 
cultural implements. 

Temperance movements. — From the administra- 
tion of Governor Sloughter to the time of Governor 
Seymour, men had deplored the evils of intemperance, 
but not until this decade had temperance societies been 
formed with the distinct idea of taking a hand in the 
politics of the State. 

Governor Seymour's position on these issues prevent- 



414 



Prohibitory Legislation [Period IX 




Myron H. Clark, 1806-1892 
Governor, 1855-56 



ed his re-election. He was 
defeated by the combined 
vote of the abolitionists and 
the temperance party, and 
Myron H. Clark was elected 
governor, with a whig majori- 
ty in both branches of the leg- 
islature. Governor Seymour 
was entirely sincere in his 
pinion that slavery was rec- 
ognized by the constitution 
and should not be interfered with, and, himself a man 
of the purest personal character, he did not believe that 
the evils of intemperajice could be cured by legislation. 
He had failed to gauge correctly the trend of pub- 
lic sentiment in the country, and was remanded to pri- 
vate life, to be called up again when the re-action 
should set in. 

Administration of Grovernor Clark. — Myron H. 
Clark was a man who from personal conviction had 
early taken strong ground in favor of temperance legis- 
lation, as he had also in regard to what in those days 
was called "the encroachment of the slave power". 

In his first message he called attention to the con- 
troversy with Virginia. This had begun several years 
before over the operations of the " fugitive slave law ", 
which practically carried slavery into every State in 
the union. 

Several States had already passed what were known 
as "personal liberty bills", which were, in reality, in- 
tended to nullify an act of congress. 

Prohibitor}^ legislation. — Governor Clark kept 
his pledges to the temperance people. The "Maine 



1865] Declared Unconstitutional 415 

law", as it was called, had been passed in that State 
in 1851, and the temperance people of New York had 
since that year clamored for "prohibition". A pro- 
hibitory law had indeed passed the legislature and had 
been vetoed by Governor Seymour in 1854; but in 
1855 the legislature passed a stringent prohibitory law 
by a vote of 80 to 45 in the assembly and by 21 to 11 
in the senate, which Governor Clark promptly signed. 
The law went into effect July 4, 1855, and outside the 
large cities was enforced. In New York city, Mayor 
Fernando Wood questioned its constitutionality and 
decided to ignore it. 

The next year the law came before the supreme court 
of the State and met with a reverse. Five judges 
voted that it was unconstitutional, " because it inter- 
fered luith the use of property already in possession. ' ' 

Bills were at once introduced in the legislature 
which sought to overcome this objection, but the great 
regard in which the opinion of the court was held pre- 
vented their passage, and in subsequent sessions tha 
growth of the anti-slavery sentiment completely over- 
shadowed all other issues. 

A second prohibitory law came to a third reading in 
May, 1859, but failed of passage. 

SUMMAEY 

1. " Rights and duties ". 

2. Anti-slavery sentiment. 

3. Tne " Lemon case". 

4. Crystal palace exhibition, 1853. 

5. Temperance legislation. 

6. First prohibition governor, 1854. 

7. Personal liberty bills. 

8. Prohibition. 



CHAPTER XLIX 




John Alsop King, 1788-1867 
Governor, 1857-58 



The Irrepressible Conflict 

Revision urged. — When Governor King came into 
office he urged a revision of 
the excise laws, the removal 
of the property qualification 
still required of colored 
voters, and resistance to the 
demands of the slave power. 
The position of New York 
at this time was a difficult 
one. The conscience of the 
people was fully aroused on 
the subject of slavery, but 
commercial relations between Xew York and the south- 
ern States were so intimate that there was great hesita- 
tion in regard to any movement that would jeopardize 
trade. 

The inhabitants of the State were an eminently 
practical people, but they prized the institutions of 
their country before every other possession. They 
frequently denounced " abolitionists " in unmeasured 
terms, but they were ready to make any sacrifice for 
the maintenance of the republic. Gradually the con- 
viction grew that slavery must go no further, and when 
there began to be talk of dissolving the union, the 
people ran ahead of every demand made upon them 
by the State authorities. 

(416) 



1855] 



The Republican Party 



417 



During the presidency of Franklin Pierce public 
sentiment against slavery 
was growing. New York 
has never taken any back- 
ward steps, and when the 
time came that decided ac- 
tion must be taken, she 
spoke in no uncertain tones. 
The republican party. 
— j^ational issues now dom- 
inated all others. Out of 
the disintegration of the old 
parties a new party had been formed. It had taken 
the name " republican". 

Its line of action was not clear at the beginning, but 
gradually its principles had crystallized around the 
one idea of "resistance to the extension of slavery". 
Its leaders did not advocate immediate abolition. 
That was impracticable. They did, however, favor 
the present restriction of slavery and its ultimate 
extinction. They announced the cardinal principles 




Franklin Pierce, 1804-lJ 
President, 1853-57 





John C. Fremont, 
1830-1890 



James Buchanan, 1791-1861 
President, 1857-1861 



418 Threats of Disunion [Period IX 

of their organization " equal rights for all men, and 
protection in the enjoyment of those rights". They 
pronounced " slavery sectional and freedom national ". 
In 1856 this party had nominated General John C. 
Fremont for the presidency, and he had been defeated 
by the election of James Buchanan, the democratic 
candidate. 

Edwin D. Morgan^ governor^ 1858. — When the 
elections of 1858 came on, the 
republicans were much bet- 
ter organized. For the office 
of governor they had nomin- 
ated Edwin D. Morgan, a 
Xew York merchant of large 
experience in public affairs. 
He was elected by a small 
majority over x\masa J. Par- 
edwin dennison morgan. 1811- ker, the regular democratic 
1883: GovERKOR. 1859-62 candidate. As he was re- 
elected in 1860, he will always be known in history as 
New York's " war governor ". 

By the close of his first term, threats of disunion 
were flying thick from southern leaders. Xew York 
was never more in need of a wise governor, a loyal leg- 
islature, a firm, patriotic delegation in congress. These 
she now had. 

New York's loyalty. — Deep in the hearts of the 
people was rising a tide of patriotic feeling, a pas- 
sionate love for liberty, which was destined soon, 
in the political arena, to sweep every other considera- 
tion before it. 




1859] JoHis- Brown 419 

John Brown's raid. — This erratic man moved into 
Essex county, X. Y., in 1849, and settled upon lands 









John I^rown, 1800-1859. Gerrit Smith, 1797-18T4 

given him by Gerrit Smith, the abolitionist leader. 

In 1854 his sons had settled in Kansas, where they 
soon took part in the endeavor to make that a free 
State. They were raided by marauding bands from 
Missouri, their property was plundered, and they sent 
to their father for aid. He went to Kansas and soon 
became a leader in the rough encounters on " the 
border ", and from one of the contests became known 
as " Ossawotomie Brown ". Later he was engaged in 
the dangerous enterprise of assisting slaves to escape. 

In 1859 he entered upon the hopeless task of organ- 
izing a slave insurrection at Harper's Ferry. 

The story of his capture and trial, his condemnation 
and execution has been told over and over. In Xew 
York, a large majorty condemned Brown's act, but, 
strangely enough, they also wept over his fate and 
counted his execution an outrage. If John Brown's 
raid helped to bring on southern secession, it also 
united the people of ^ew York against slavery. 




420 Election of Abraham Lincoln [Period IX 

Re-election of Governor Morgan, 1860. — In the 

campaign of 1860, there was 
in Xew York very little ex- 
citement ; the feeling among 
all classes was too deep. The 
whole political sky was full 
of portents of the coming 
storm. The State gave Mr. 
Lincoln a majority of 50,000, 
and they re-elected Governor 
ABRAHAM Lincoln. 1809-1865 Morgan by a majority of 
President. 1861-65 j^o^e than 63,000. Threats 

had been freely made that if Mr. Lincoln was elected 
there would be opposition to his inauguration, but the 
people of Xew York voted with the determination 
that whoever was elected to the presidency should be 
inaugurated. The conviction that Governor Morgan 
could be trusted for a wise, firm administration in the 
event of any attempt to defeat the will of the people, 
gave to him 13,000 more votes than Mr. Lincoln 
received. 

A new era. — We have now traced the history of 
our State^since its early settlement through five distinct 
periods: (1) A dependency of Holland chartered to 
and governed by a commercial company, purely as a 
commercial enterprise; (2) an English proprietary 
colony, the property of a royal prince, subject to all 
his whims and caprices; (3) a dependency of the Brit- 
ish crown, a royal province, governed through a long 
period of years by favorites having no interest in the 
prosperity or happiness of the people they ruled; (4) 
after revolution, an independent State, owning no 



1860] New York eis^ters upon a New Era 421 

allegience to any prince or potentate; (5) a component 
part of a general government. 

The State has revised its own constitutions, liberat- 
ing its people and enlarging their privileges, until their 
will, expressed by the ballot, is supreme. 

During these years its population has increased to 
4 millions; its valuation to 1,440 millions; the value 
of its annual manufactures to 349 millions. 

Nor has its wealth proved to be entirely material. 
No other State contains so many churches, none has 
contributed such munificient sums for the cause of 
education. 

With wealth has come leisure, and with leisure a 
remarkable development in literary affairs, shown in 
the founding of libraries, the multiplication of news- 
papers and magazines, and, especially, in the demand 
for books which has carried the school library into 
every district of the State. 

Now dawns a new era when New York must en- 
large the bounds of her industries and the field of 
her usefulness. Having liberated and enfranchised 
her own people, she must aid in carrying the same 
blessings to other less fortunate States and peoples, 
and in this work find an enlargement of her own 
resources. 

SUMMARY 

1. Governor King's administration. 

2. Eise of the republican party. 

3. Threats of disunion. 

4. Edwin D. Morgan our " war governor ". 

5. John Brown's raid. 

6. New York enters upon a new era. 



PERIOD X 



CHAPTER L 
First Year of the War, 1861 

New York's loyalty, 1860-1865.— The history of 
New York during this period is in a large sense the 
history of the United States. Her vote for Lincoln 
was an expression of her love for the union and the 
support which her statesmen give him was unstinted. 
The more than 200 regiments which she equipped and 
sent to the war would constitute a royal army. The 
blood of her sons, poured out on every battle-field of 
the south, testified to their i>atriotic devotion. 

Xew York's response to southern threats of seces- 
sion, the one which became the battle-cry of the union, 
was the telegram of John A. Dix, a loyal son of Xew 
York, then secretary of the treasury, to an agent of 
the department in Xew Orleans: "If any man at- 
tempts to haul down the American flag, shoot him on 
the spot!" 

In the city of Xew York there was a natural dread 
of the effects of war upon trade. Robert Toombs of 
Georgia had in congress declared that if the south 
seceded grass would grow in the streets of Xew York. 

Governor Morgan's message to the legislature was 
calm and dignified, but firm. In it occurred this para- 

(422) 



1860-61] The Time of Waiting 423 

graph, worthy of preservation with Lincoln's first 
inaugural address: 

" Let New York set an example; let her oppose no 
barrier to conciliation ; let her representatives in con- 
gress give ready support to any honorable settlement; 
let her stand in hostility to none; let her extend the 
hand of friendship to all ; but let her live up to the 
strict letter of the constitution, and cordially unite in 
proclaiming and enforcing a determination that the 
constitution shall be honored and the union of the 
States preserved." 

The time of waiting, 1860-1861.— The loyal 
people of New York could not believe that the south 
really meant to destroy the union, yet from the day 
that the election of Mr. Lincoln was known to be be- 
yond doubt they saw that war was among the possi- 
bilities. 

AYilliam H. Seward, who had been New York's can- 
didate for the nomination which Mr. Lincoln had 
secured, threw the whole weight of his influence in 
favor of the president-elect. The legislature, when it 
met in January, 1861, with but one dissenting vote in 
the assembly and two in the senate tendered to the 
national government whatever might be necessary to 
uphold its authority; while in response to an invita- 
tion from Virginia, that no opportunity to preserve 
peace might be omitted, this same legislature sent a 
strong delegation to a peace convention which was 
held in Washington, in February, 1861. 

Prominent men were not lacking who took a genuine 
southern view of the situation. Ex-Governor Seymour 
in a meeting held in Utica, in October, 1861, declared: 



424 Declaration of Secesstox [Period X 

*' If it is true that slavery must be abolished to save 
the union, then the people of the south should be 
allowed to withdraw themselves from that government 
which cannot give them the protection guaranteed 
by its terms." 

The mass of the people never wavered in their de- 
termination that Abraham Lincoln should be inau- 
gurated; that as president he should be sustained, and 
that the union as it was should be preserved. 

As the 4th of March approached this thought was 
uppermost in the minds of the people. Seven States 
had already seceded. United States forts all over the 
south had been seized, and the property of northern 
citizens in southern States confiscated. 

Lincoln in Albany.— On the 18th of February, 
Mr. Lincoln reached Albany on his way to Washington 
and was received by Governor Morgan and the legis- 
lature. His feelings were perfectly expressed in his 
reply to an address of welcome by the chairman of a 
legislative committee, in which the complete support 
of the State was pledged to him in the discharge of his 
duties. He said: " While I hold myself without 
mock modesty, the humblest of all individuals that 
have been elected to the presidency, I have a more 
difficult task than any of them." 

Secession begun. — When Mr. Lincoln reached 
Washington, before he had taken the oath of office, 
or had publicly outlined his policy, the union, so far 
as acts of southern legislatures or of southern State 
militia could go, had been dissolved. 

Mr. Lincoln's task was, indeed, a difficult one. Un- 
til the 15th of April, the president waited, and then. 



1861] New York's Eesponse 425 

when further efforts at reconciliation were useless, he 
called for 75,000 men. 

New York's quota was to be seventeen regiments 
of 780 each, or more, than 13,000 men, and the 
response was prompt and unhesitating. On April 16 
the State military board met Governor Morgan. No 
time was wasted in useless deliberation. The presi- 
dent had asked for one regiment that week ; the capi- 
tal was thought to be in danger. The response of the 
people was enthusiastic. The national guard of New 
York and Brooklyn sprang to arms. There was a gen- 
erous rivalry to see which regiment should first be 
ready to march. The Sixth Massachusetts was first 
equipped, and passed through New York a few hours 
before the gallant Seventh was ready. 

The Sixth met serious resistance at Baltimore and 
so great was the need at Washington that the Seventh 
New York was sent around by Annapolis to avoid the 
possibility of detention*. 

The summer of 1861. — Who that remembers that 
summer can recall it without a thrill ! Who that did 
not participate in its scenes can imagine it! 

Until that year the stars and stripes were rarely seen 
except as they floated over some United States fort or 
government building. 

* From the 7th New York many men rose to prom- 
inence during the war; six to the rank of major- 
general; twenty-five became brigadier-generals. In 
central park stands a monument to the memory of fifty- 
eight of its members who fell in the defence of the 
union. This regiment furnished 603 officers to the 
volunteer service, of whom 41 were killed in battle, 
and 17 died of disease. 



426 The Uxion forever ! [Period X 

The flag suddenly sprang into view everywhere, as 
flowers blossom in spring. In every village and hamlet, 
on every hill and in every valley it waved. Flags 
enough could not be purchased; loyal women made 
them of every fabric that could furnish the trinity of 
red, white and blue. Wherever possible, it bore the 
legends, " The Union forever ! " " The Union, it must 
and shall be preserved ! " The burden of them all was 
*' The Union ! " and deep in the hearts of the people 
was registered the vow, " It shall he preserved !^^ 

New York's quota was soon filled; it could as easily 
have been filled five times over. Everywhere old men 
and young men and boys dropped the employments in 
which they were engaged, and hurrying to the recruit- 
ing offices begged to be received into the regiments 
then forming. They came from every field of labor, 
from every profession in life, while schools and col- 
leges were almost depopulated*. 

A writer t on this period well says: " Surely if tha 
voice of the people can ever be accounted as inspira- 
tion of God, that which came in the united tones 
of the great mass of statesmen and jurists, historians 
and scholars, philosophers and poets, warriors and 
spiritual guides, must be so accepted. 

On the side of the union stood Bancroft and Motley 
and Sparks and Palfrey, who had made the history of 
free institutions their life study. The harps of Bryant 
and Longfellow and Whittier and Holmes and Lowell 
were strung to the music of the union, to inspire the 

* From one university every young man in the class 
of '61 entered the service. 
t Thomas C. Townsend. 



1861] The Coppeeheads 427 

hearts of the people and nerve their arms for the 
conflict." 

New York's mayor. — In 1861, Fernando Wood 
was mayor of New York city. He was in full sym- 
pathy with the secession element of the south. He 
even advocated the secession of New York city from 
the State. These were his arguments: " New York 
supports by her revenues two-thirds of the expenses 
of the federal government. As a free city, with a 
nominal duty on imports, her government could be 
supported without taxing her people one cent." 

This plausible argument found many adherents in 
the city, and occasionally one in the interior of the 
State. It was said, " New York does not need the 
rest of the union; she can live alone." 

The common council of New York at this time were 
quite in sympathy with the mayor. They ordered 
3,000 copies of his message printed for distribution. 
Thus early did Fernando Wood begin sowing the 
*' dragon's teeth" that should soon, in the draft riots, 
grow a crop of armed men. He and his followers 
failed to see the logical outcome of their doctrine. If 
a State could leave the union, a county or city could 
withdraw from a State, and a ward from a city*. 
Self-interest alone can never constitute nor preserve a 
State. 

Mayor Wood and all his adherents were soon swept 
into a political grave as dishonored as the one which, 
at the close of the revolution, engulfed the tories. 

* In the south, the people who argued in this way 
were called '* secessionists"; in the north they were 
called " copperheads ". 



428 Sanitary Commission [Period X 

New York prepares for war. — The voice of the 
people was now to be heard. The governor designated 
Elmira as the place of rendezvous for the troops of the 
State. The president had asked Xew York for 13,000 
men. In ten days 10,000 men had been equipped and 
sent forward, and in seventy-seven days 40,000 more 
were in camp awaiting transportation. 

The legislature voted $3,000,000 for equipments, 
sent an agent to Europe with $500,000 to purchase 
arms, and then waited to see what could next be done. 

The great Union square meeting, 1861. — A war 

meeting was called in Union square, April 20. This 
call brought out such a throng of people that four 
separate divisions were made. Speeches full of patri- 
otic fervor were delivered at each stand ; the enthusiasm 
was unbounded. Xew Y'ork's merchant princes were 
present and their lives and fortunes, as in revolutionary 
days, were freely offered to their country. From this 
meeting came the "committee of safety", which in 
one year raised a million for the equipment of soldiers 
and the relief of their families. 

Sanitary commission. — This association had its 
origin in a meeting held in Cooper Union, Xew Y^ork 
city, April 26, 1861, when a benevolent organization 
known as " The Women's Central Relief association" 
was organized. 

It was designed to carry relief to sick and wounded 
soldiers, and collected five millions in cash and supplies 
to the value of fifteen millions, all of which was dis- 
tributed through its various branches in the cities of 
the north. 



1861] Summary 429 

The christian commission, a twin organization 
of the sanitary commission, also had its origin in 
^^ew York. It followed the armies for the distribution 
of clothing, hospital supplies, food and reading matter 
for convalescent soldiers. During the war it raised 
and contributed nearly seven millions. 

SUMMARY 

1. Attitude of New York toward secession. 

2. General Dix. 

3. Governor Morgan's message. 

4. New York in the election of 1860. 

5. Governor Seymour's attitude. 

6. Mr. Lincoln in Albany, February, 1861. 

7. New York's response to first call for troops. 

8. New York in 1861 ; her quota and response. 

9. The Seventh New York in the war. 

10. Mayor Fernando Wood on the war. 

11. " Secessionists " ; " copperheads ". 

12. Action of New York legislature. 

13. Sanitary commission. 

14. Christian commission. 



CHAPTER LI 
The Opponents of the Union in Control 

The re-action of 1862. — By the autumn of this 
year the State began to experience the natural results 
of the prodigious efforts she had put forth. 

She had sent to the field 219,000 men. Nearly 300 
millions had been contributed in bounties to volun- 
teers, in payment for equipments and in gifts and 
loans to the nation. 

The withdrawal of so many men, largely from the 
producing class, and of so large an amount of money 
from business had greatly diminished the resources of 
the State and a financial stringency began to be felt. 

To make the situation still more grave, our armies 
had won no considerable success in the field. Of bat- 
tles and skirmishes 616 had been fought, among them 
Bull Run, Fair Oaks, Gaines Mills, South Mountain, 
Antietam and Fredericksburg, — all entailing heavy 
losses, — and yet the end was not in sight. 

Volunteering was still active among the masses, but 
those who had opposed the war took advantage of the 
situation to declare that it was a failure, scored all its 
advocates as abolitionists, and entered upon the State 
campaign with the demand that hostilities must cease. 

State election of 1862. — The republican candi- 
date for governor was James S. Wadsworth, who had 
in 1861 chartered a steamer at his own expense, loaded 

(430) 



1862] The Democrats in Power 431 

it with provisions, and gone to the relief of the sol- 
diers stationed at Washington*. 

On Sept. 22, the democrats nominated Horatio Sey- 
mour. President Lincoln had issued his preliminary 
proclamation, announcing that in all those States and 
parts of States which should be in rebellion on the first 
day of January following, the slaves would be declared 
free. Although at the time this was intended purely 
as a war measure, it was used as a proof that the war 
was being prosecuted for the purpose of abolition. 
Soldiers in the field were not allowed to vote, and Mr. 
Seymour was elected by 11,000 majority, — the whole 
number of votes cast being nearly 73,000 less than in 
1860. 

As an indication of the spirit of the campaign and 
of the influences which carried the election, a brief 
quotation may be given from Mr. Seymour's speech 
in accepting the nomination for governor. He said : 
" The scheme for an immediate emancipation and general 
arming of the slaves throughout the States is a proposal 
for the butchery of women and children; for scenes 
of lust and rapine, of arson and murder, unparalleled 
in the history of the world. The horrors of the French 
revolution would become tame in comparison." 

The peace faction. — Governor Seymour's message 
to the legislature was, in the main, a protest against 
the conduct of the government. He gave what was 
called a history of the causes which led to the war, 
and arraigned the national administration for its part 

* Later, in the battle of the Wilderness, he fell at 
the head of his division. 



432 The Peace Factiox [Period X 

in it. This had its effect in the riots which followed, 
and was a source of great encouragement to the con- 
federate cause. 

The opponents of the war, known as the " peace 
faction ", did much to hinder the success of the union 
arms. They planned a great demonstration for the 4th 
of July, and though not so imposing an affair as they 
expected, it gave them an opportunity to express their 
sentiments. They ridiculed the attempt to capture 
Vicksburg, which they pronounced " inpregnable " ; 
they sneered at President Lincoln's call for men to 
expel Lee from Pennsylvania as a " midnight cry for 
help"; when, had telegraph lines been in working 
order, they would have known, at the very hour of their 
meeting, that Vicksburg had already surrendered, 
and that Lee, hurled back from Pilot Knob and Ceme- 
tery Ridge, was on his final retreat from northern soil. 

The identical day on which they pronounced the 
war a failure, has, in history, been named " the high- 
tide of the rebellion "*. 

The draft riots. — In April, 1863, the president 
had issued another call for 300,000 men. The quotas 
in many counties could not be filled by volunteers even 
when enormous bounties were offered. In all these 
districts " drafts " were ordered. 

In ^ew York city the drawing was to begin on July 
11. When the lists of those liable to the draft were 
posted there were intimations of trouble. Some of 

* It was a most singular coincidence that Vicksburg 
surrendered to Grant, and Lee was driven from Gettys- 
burg on the 4th day of July, 1863, while this meeting 
was in progress. 



1863] The Draft Riots 433 

the marshalls were attacked while putting up the 
notices. Several influential journals, in editorials cal- 
culated to inflame the passions of the disorderly ele- 
ments of the city, declared that the draft was " un- 
constitutional ", ^N'ew York's quota " excessive •', and 
the acts of the government " tyrannical ". In addition 
to this, hand-bills were circulated in grog-shops and 
other places where they would reach the dangerous 
classes, calling on men to " resist the draft ". To 
make matters still worse, the militia of the State had 
mostly been sent to Pennsylvania against Lee, and had 
not yet returned. The draft began on Saturday and 
next day the Sunday newspapers contained lists of 
names of those who had been drawn. 

On Monday rioting began. Travel was impeded by 
taking the horses from the street cars in the vicinity 
of the marshall's office. Immediately a crowd was 
formed which bore down upon the office like a wave, 
smashed the windows, drove out the sixty policemen 
guarding the place, and fired the building. 

When the fire department arrived, the crowd, now 
become a mob, would not allow water to be turned on. 
The chief of police was attacked and beaten to insen- 
sibility. 

Similar scenes occurred in other parts of the city. 
Toward evening the rioters formed a procession and 
marched down Broadway in a compact mass, with 
drums and banners and firearms. They were met by 
a body of two hundred policemen under inspector 
Daniel Carpenter, whose orders were " Take no prison- 
ers! Strike quick and hard!^^ The battle was a short 
one, but when it was over Broadway was strewn with 



434 Father Malone's Flag [Period X 

dead and wounded men, — rioters and policemen. The 
mob set upon every negro they met, man, woman, or 
child, and they burned the colored orphan asylum at 
Fifth avenue and 44th street. 

These scenes lasted for three days, when a few hun- 
dred soldiers, returning from sick-leave, were organ- 
ized to assist the police, two or three regiments were 
recalled from Pennsylvania, and order was once more 
restored. Kot less than 1,000 of the mob had been 
killed, 50 policemen severely injured and three killed^ 
while property to the value of two millions had been 
destroyed. 

Among many deeds of personal heroism, one may be 
mentioned. The American flag wherever displayed 
was an object of attack. A certain Catholic priest, 
later a venerable and honored member of the Board 
of Regentg, kept his flag flying, and himself guarded 
it with a musket. 

Such examples did much to encourage the police and 
hearten the friends of good order. The governor of 
the State was criticised for addressing the mob as " my 
friends ", and for a telegram sent to President Lin- 
coln, proposing that the draft should be stopped 
" until its constitutionality could be decided by the 
courts." 

SUMMARY 

1. Reaction of 1862; cause of. 

2. Effect on State elections, 1862. 

3. New York in 1863; the " peace faction ". 

4. Their Fourth of July celebration; Gettysburg 
and Vicksburg. 



1863] Summary 435 

5. The " high- tide of the rebellion ". 

6. Draft riots ; cause, story of. 

7. A patriotic priest. 

8. Governor Seymour's action. 



CHAPTER LII 
Once More under Loyal Control 

The Union League club. — The political conflict 
in the State brought out a most remarkable organiz- 
ation known as " the Union League club ". This was 
organized in the city of Xew York, March 30, 1863, 
for the purpose of giving support to the national gov- 
ernment in all its struggles. 

Among the first acts of this club was a request to 
Governor Seymour for permission to organize a regi- 
ment of colored troops in the State. On his refusal 
they applied to the secretary of war, who gave the 
necessary authority, and within one week the regiment ivas 
ready, — the "Union League club" contributing $18,- 
000 toward its equipment. 

No organization did more to maintain confidence in 
the ability of the government to put down the re- 
bellion than did the " Union League ". It was 
composed of men of wealth and influence who con- 
tributed freely of their own means, and who to the 
end of the war stood like a fortress against all efforts 
to weaken the hands of President Lincoln. As a 
result, confidence returned and with it came success. 

Re-election of Mr. Lincoln. — The summer of 
1864 was an anxious time, for the contest was narrow- 
ing. Grant had been placed in supreme command 

(436) 



1864] Ee-election of Presidei^t Lincoln 437 




George Bbinton McClellan 

1826-1885 

of the ballot. They 



and was tightening his grip upon Richmond, while 

Sherman was advancing on 
^^^BL Atlanta. An effort was made 

j|g Jl to defeat the re-election of 

^f ^^fh^ i^Y Lincoln by nominating 

against him Gen. McClellan, 
who had resigned from the 
army. 

Like many other States, 
Xew York demanded that 
her soldiers in the field 
should no longer be deprived 
were allowed to vote and not 
only was Mr. Lincoln re- 
elected, but Xew York chose 
a " war governor ", Reubene 
Fenton, a distinguished citi- 
zen of Jamestown, who, ably 
seconded by a loyal legisla- 
ture, soon brought New York 
again into line for the sup- 
port of the national adminis- 
tration and the vigorous pro- 
secution of the war*. Dur- 
ing this year a State "bureau of military statistics" 
was formed, and the national guard organized. 

* It is quite the custom to charge fraud to the 
elections held in the army in 1864. It is a slander on 
the men who defended the union. The soldiers be- 
lieved in Abraham Lincoln. The writer witnessed 
that election in camp, and believes that no elections 
in these days have been more honestly conducted. 




Reubene Fenton, 1819-1885 
Governor, 1865-68 



438 End of the Civil Wae [Period X 

In his first message to the legislature Governor Fen- 
ton recommended the adoption of the 13th amend- 
ment to the national constitution, and it was subse- 
quently ratified by that body. 

The conflict ended^ 1865. — With the opening of 
the new year men began to feel that the end of the 
great struggle was not far away. The Mississippi ran 
free to the gulf; Atlanta had fallen; Sherman was on 
his march to the sea; and around Eichmond Grant 
was drawing his lines so close that all knew the capital 
of the confederacy was doomed. 

In April came the thrilling news flashed from army 
to army, from city to city, and carried by swiftest ships 
to every port in Europe, " Richmond has fallen! " 
' ' Lee has surrendered ! " " Johnston has surrendered ' ' ! 

Men in the far away camps about Mobile Bay heard 
it from confederates scarcely less glad than they. 
Kew York's soldiers in the trenches, and behind log- 
breast-works, and on the skirmish line received the 
news according to their different temperaments. Some 
wept, others threw down their guns, swung their 
caps, and hurrahed till they were hoarse. 

Death of Lincoln, April 15, 1865. — Hardly had 
Xew York's soldiers come fully to realize that the war 
was over, when the startling news came flying through 
the camps that Lincoln had been assassinated. Loyal 
men, remembering the hate that had through four long 
years pursued the president, were overcome with the 
feeling that this was the last resort of his enemies. 
Thirsting for revenge, men deserted the camps and 
frantic with grief and rage wandered about in squads, 



1865] ASSASSIN"ATI0N OF PRESIDENT LlNCOLI^- 439 

eager to find some one who would dare to justify the 
deed. 

It was at first reported that Lincoln, Grant, Seward, 
and Stanton had all fallen. It seemed a conspiracy 
for the overthrow of the government, and in all the 
cities crowds gathered, and riots were imminent. In 
New York an excited throng gathered about the sub- 
treasury building on Wall street and the scenes of 
1863 seemed about to be repeated. Suddenly, upon 
the balcony appeared a man of commanding presence 
and with bared head, beckoning to the swaying mass. 
Faces of excited men looking for a leader were turned 
toward him, and the roar of voices was for a moment 
hushed, as they listened. It was James A. Garfield. 
He chanced to be in the city and had been pushed 
forward by others in the hope that he might say some- 
thing to allay the excitement. 

What he said must have been unpremeditated, but 
in impassioned eloquence, it has rarely, if ever, been 
equalled. It was only this, but, uttered in tones that 
reached the very outskirts of the crowd, it stilled the 
mob, and prevented a bloody riot: "Fellow citizens; 
clouds and darkness are around Him. His pavilion is 
dark waters and thick clouds. Justice and judgment 
are the establishment of His throne. Mercy and truth 
shall go before His face. Fellow citizens, God reigns, 
and the government at Washington still lives." 

That great throng heard, looked in each other's faces 
and dispersed. The voice of a .master had spoken. 
For days the nation was paralyzed with grief. The 
drama of a grand but pathetic life had closed in 



440 Cost OF THE War TO New YoKK [Period X 

tragedy, and the name of Abraham Lincoln had be- 
come immortal. 

Disbanding the armies. — Soon was witnessed the 
great miracle of the war, — the mustering out of a 
million soldiers, and their quiet absorption into the 
ranks of the people. 

New York welcomed her returning regiments in 
royal fashion, and soon " the 
faded coat of army bl ue " came 
to be a badge of honor over 
all the State. 

New York had furnished 
for the war 473,443 men and 
had disbursed 35 millions in 
bounties, besides the cost of 
equipments. 

Andrew Johnson. 1808-1875 Many of thcSC men UeVCr 

President. 1865-69 returned, whilc of thoSC mUS- 

tered out thousands were disabled and could not 
participate in the active pursuits of life. The loss 
to the State in men is estimated as follows: 

Killed in action 12,976 

Died of wounds 7,235 

Died of disease 27,855 

Died in prison 5,736 

Total loss .53,802 

To this list must be added the large number who 
reached home from the hospitals and prisons, but died 
within a year, — estimated by the pension office to be 
4,000. This brings the grand total of New York's 
contribution of her sons up to 57,802. In money, 




1865] Loyal Sons of Loyal Sires 441 

New York had given 1152,448,032 to assist in carrying 
on the war*. 

SUMMARY 

1. Union League club. 

2. New York in second Lincoln campaign. 

3. Soldiers' votes. 

4. Closing year; the surrender; scenes. 

5. Death of Lincoln; effect on soldiers. 

6. Garfield in Wall street, 1865. 

7. Return of New York troops. 

8. Losses. 



*See " New York in the war of the Rebellion " ; also 
" Honors of the Empire State in the AVar " by Thomas 
S. Townsend. 

Each of New York's four signers of the Declaration 
of Independence was, in the civil war, rejoresented by 
a lineal descendant in the union army. General Wil- 
liam Floyd by Captain John Gelston Floyd of the 
145th New York; Lewis Morris by Colonel Lewis 
0. Morris of the 7th heavy artillery, killed at Coal 
Harbor; Francis Lewis by Lieutenant Manning Liv- 
ingston of the regular army, killed at Gettysburg 
(Lieutenant Livingston was a grandson of Robert R. 
Livingston) ; Philip Livingston by Captain Stephen 
Van Rensselaer Cruger, and also by Lieutenant Killian 
Van Rensselaer of the 39th New York. 



PERIOD XI 

THIRTY-FIVE YEARS OF PROGRESS 
186^-1900 



CHAPTER LIII 

New York after the War 

Recuperation. — The civil war had taxed the re- 
sources of the State to their utmost, and its population 
had decreased nearly 50,000. The recuperation was 
marvellous. New industries were opened. Manu- 
factories sprang up as by magic. That steadfast part 
of her population which had never wavered in the 
darkest hour of the rebellion plunged eagerly into 
every industrial pursuit that presented itself. Rail- 
roads were built, the canals were improved, and new 
machinery was introduced into manufactures and 
agriculture. Our merchant marine had been driven 
from the seas by confederate cruisers, but new steamship 
lines were opened and commerce revived. The school 
fund was increased and the schools were made free. 
Money was abundant and prices ranged high as a result 
of the inflation of the currency. Shrewd financiers 
then paid their debts and hoarded all surplus funds, 
knowing they would soon be redeemed at par. Reckless 
speculators plunged into debt, made purchases at infla- 
tion prices, and in the inevitable shrinkage that fol- 
lowed, were caught in the undertow of financial con- 
traction. 

(U2) 



1868] Constitutional Convention OF 1867 443 

The Fenian raid. — In 1866 an invasion of Canada 
was planned in New York city by the Fenians — an 
Irish- American organization. They shipped arms to 
various points on the northern frontier where, appar- 
ently, they expected them to he seized, while the real 
attack was made on Fort Erie. 

A force of 1,200 Fenians crossed the Niagara river, 
June 1, and after a sharp fight with Canadian troops, 
seized Fort Erie. They held the place one day and 
then withdrew. They expected their countrymen to 
rally to their support, but were disappointed. Two 
of the prisoners taken were sentenced to death, but 
were saved through the good offices of the United 
States government. 

State election. — In November, 1866, Governor 
Fenton was re-elected with little opposition. 

Tlie constitutional convention of 1867. — the 

delegates to this convention, elected in 1866, met June 
4, 1867, and adjourned Feb. 28, 1868. William A. 
Wheeler, afterwards vice-president of the United 
States, was chairman. 

The constitution which this convention drafted was 
rejected by the people, with the exception of one 
article relating to the court of appeals. This provided 
for a three years' commission of appeals, and gave the 
legislature power to fix departments for the supreme 
court. The State legislature in this year (1867) 
adopted the 14th amendment to the constitution of 
the United States. 

General Grant elected president, John T. Hoff- 
man governor, 1868. — Ex-Governor Seymour of 




444 The Tweed Ring [Period XI 

New York became the democratic candidate for the 
presidency against General Grant. The memories of 

the war were still vivid, and 
Grant had become the sol- 
diers' idol. Mr. Seymour 
suffered an overwhelming de- 
feat, but in the State the 
democratic candidate for 
governor was elected by near- 
ly 28,000 majority. 

This striking fact led to 
Ulysses simpso^grant, 1822-1885 scrlous inquiry as to the con- 
president, 1869-77 ^^^t of clections in New 

York city. Ex-Governor Seymour now retired to 
private life. A natural student, he gave himself there- 
after to the study of the history, topography, and. re- 
sources of the State. 

The errors of his life, if they were errors, were in 
the realm of politics. He undoubtedly failed to grasp 
the new political questions that arose, and was too 
honest to seek preferment by posing as an advocate 
of measures which he did not approve. In private 
life, few citizens of our State have been more univers- 
ally loved. At his death, which occurred Feb. 12, 
1886, men without distinction of political party united 
in paying honor to his memory. 

The Tweed ring.— During the years 1863-1871, 
the city of New York, and to a great extent the State 
as well, came under the control of a combination 
known as the " Tweed ring ". Its chief was William 
Marcy Tweed, a man of Scotch ancestry, who had 
entered New York politics in 1850. By his shrewd 




1869] The Fifteenth Amendment 445 

but unscrupulous character he had advanced himself 
to the position of grand sachem of the Tammany 
society. 

Here by a careful selection of his lieutenants he soon 
had the government of the 
city in his hands. John T. 
Hoffman, who had been may- 
or, was promoted to the gov- 
ernor's chair, and A. Oakey 
Hall was made mayor of New 
York. In a few years this 
" ring " had robbed the city 
of enormous sums (estimated 
joHK THOMPSON HOFFMAN, at 20 millions) and its debt 
1828-1888: Governor, 1869-72 had bccu increased from 20 
millions to more than 100 millions. 

To the New York Times and to Samuel J. Tilden 
the people of the city and State of New York owe a 
debt of gratitude for the final overthrow of this com- 
bination, which was accomplished in 1871. 

Tweed, when confronted with the evidence of his 
crimes, blandly inquired, "What are you going to do 
about it?" and when asked what had become of the 
money stolen responded, " Gone where the woodbine 
twineth." 

A part of the gang fled the country, and a part 
were imprisoned. Tweed was sent to prison but 
escaped. He fled to France, was arrested there, was 
returned to the United States, and died at last in 
Ludlow street jail, in the city of New York. 

Adoption of the 15th amendment, 1869. — The 

15th amendment to the national constitution was 



446 Black Friday [Period XI 

adopted in 1869 by a strict party vote of 17 to 15 in 
the senate, and of 72 to 47 in the assembly, while Gover- 
nor Hoffman indicated his attitude towards the meas- 
ure by delaying to transmit to Washington the required 
notice of the action of the State, until called upon by 
the assistant secretary of state to do so. 

Black Friday. — During the civil war gold had ad- 
vanced in value until, at one period, it reached 225, 
when the paper promise of the nation to pay one dollar 
was worth but twenty-five cents. All duties on im- 
ports were payable in gold ; hence there was a legitimate 
demand for that coin. As it fluctuated in value, a 
gambling business was carried on over its prospective 
rise or fall. On Friday, Sept. 24, 1869, gold stood at 
162J. The previous day it had been quoted at 143|- 
and the advance was due to the efforts of "Jim" 
Fisk, Jay Gould, and others, to "corner" the gold 
market. These persons intended to force it up to 180, 
while they held nearly all the gold in Xew York except 
that in the sub-treasury, which was not for sale. 

Merchants and importers who must have gold with 
which to pay duties, were, at that price, face to face 
with ruin, and the markets of the whole country went 
wild. When the price reached 163J Secretary Bout- 
well telegraphed to the New York sub-treasury, " Sell 
four millions gold." This broke the plans of the 
gamblers, for gold instantly dropped to 133. 

Gould and company were the owners of 60 millions 
in gold which had cost them 96 millions in currency. 
The panic which followed affected the whole country. 
It lowered the price of produce on every farm in the 
United States. It ruined many merchants, and de- 



1872] 



The State agaik EEPUBLicAisr 



447 



predated the price of our securities in all the markets 
of Europe. 

The legislature of 1870. — The government of the 
State was now virtually in the hands of the Tweed 
ring. One of the first acts of the legislature was the 
adoption of a resolution withdrawing the assent of 
the State to the ratification of the loth amendment to 
the national constitution. The only effect of this 
action was the doubtful satisfaction of putting the 
voters on record. 

Crovernor Hoffman re-elected.— In the autumn 
of 1870, Governor Hoffman was re-elected, and the 
legislature was about evenly divided between the two 
parties. In 1871, as a result of the Tweed exposures, 
it was again changed, and became strongly republican 
in both senate and assembly. 

In January, 1872, it impeached Judge Barnard* 
for his share in the Tweed frauds. 

National and State elections^ 1872. — The cam- 
paign of 1872 was a mem- 
orable one. A faction of 
the republican party broke 
away from that organiza- 
tion, and at Cincinnati 
nominated for president 
Horace Greeley, the vet- 
eran republican editor of 
the New York Tribune. 
The new party called them- 
selves "liberal republi- 

* Not Judge Joseph Barnard of Poughkeepsie, but 
his brother, George C. 




Horace Greeley, 1811-1872 



448 



Local Option 



[Period XI 




John Adams Dix. 1798-1879 
Governor, 1873-74 



cans". When the democrats indorsed Mr. Greeley, 

his election was thought 
to be certain; but Grant 
was re-elected by a major- 
ity of 763,000. Even Xew 
York, the home of Mr. 
Greeley, gave General Grant 
a majority of 53,000, and 
elected General John A. 
Dix governor by a majority 
of 55,000. 
Local option, 1873. — 
Among the important measures which passed the 
legislature in this year was one giving " local option " 
to towns on the question of granting license for the 
sale of intoxicating liquors. The bill passed, but 
Governor Dix vetoed it. His objection as stated in 
his message was not to the principle but to the manner 
of the prohibition ; by which, he explained, he meant 
that the act conferred on localities no power, except 
absolute prohibition. By the law, the traffic must be 
prohibited or left entirely unregulated. This he held 
was not, in effect, " local option ". 

An attempt to pass the bill over the veto failed. 
For his action in this matter. Governor Dix was severely 
censured by the temperance people of the State. 

The civil rights bill, passed in 1873, provided that 
" no citizen of this State shall by reason of race, color 
or previous condition of servitude be excepted or ex- 
cluded from the full and equal enjoyment of any 
accommodation, advantage, facility, etc., by owners or 



1874] CoKSTiTUTiONAL Amei^^dments 449 

lessees of any theatre or other place of amusement." 
Such a law would seem to be an effort to make men 
civil by legal enactment. 

School and factory legislation. — In 1874, attend- 
ance on school was for the first time made compulsory 
in New York State, and a law was passed prohibiting 
the employment of children in factories except under 
conditions specified. 

Samnel J. Tilden^ goyernor. — In the campaign 
of 1874 there were three 
candidates for the office of 
governor. The republicans 
\ re-nominated Governor Dix ; 
the prohibitionists n o m i - 
nated Ex-Governor Myron 
H.Clark; and the democrats 
put forward Samuel J. Til- 
den. The campaign was an 
animated one, resultinsf in 

Samuel Jones TiLDEN, 1814-1886 , » ,;r m.-i i 

Governor, 1875-76 the elcctlOU 01 Mr. TlldeU. 

His high character and his distinguished service to the 
State in the Tweed affair gave promise of an honest 
and able administration. 

Constitutional amendments. — Several important 
amendments to the State constitution were ratified at 
this election. Among them were the following: 1. 
Thirty days residence in an election district was re- 
quired. 2. The property qualification for colored 
voters was finally removed. 3. A stringent regulation 
against bribery at elections was made. 4. The salary 
of members of the legislature was fixed at $1,500. 5. 




450 Summary [Period XI 

Regulations governing the passage of bills by the 
legislature were added. G. The term of governor and 
lieutenant-governor was changed from two years to 
three, and their salaries made $10,000 and $5,000 
respectively. 

Legislative enactments^ 1875. — In this year the 
chief matters acted upon by the legislature were with 
reference to the management of the canals, in which 
many reforms were made; the administration of sav- 
ings banks; the punishment for bribery at elections, 
and the prevention of cruelty to children. 

SUMMARY 

1. Consequences of war; recuperation. 

2. Financial troubles. 

3. Fenian raid. 

4. Constitutional convention. 

5. Xew York's candidate for the presidency. 

6. Xew York city elections. 

7. Death of Horatio Seymour; his character. 

8. The Tweed ring. 

9. The 15th amendment. 

10. Black Friday. 

11. Governor Hoffman and the 15th amendment. 

12. New York and the presidential campaign. 

13. Civil rights bill ; local option. 

14. School and factory legislation. 

15. Samuel J. Tilden, governor. 

16. Constitutional amendments. 



CHAPTEE LIV 
Eecekt Events, 1876-1883 

The centennial year. — We have now reached a 
period which properly separates history from the cur- 
rent annals of our time. The year 1876 closed a cen- 
tury of American independence, 99 years of the his- 
tory of New York as a State, and 88 years of the 
federal union. 

The centennial year of national independence was 
celebrated at Philadelphia by an international exhibi- 
tion. The State of New York made a worthy con- 
tribution from her vast treasures of art, manufactured 
articles, and natural products. 

Statue of Lafayette. — In September, 1876, there 
was unveiled in Union Square, in the city of New 
York, a bronze statue of Lafayette, the work of 
Bartholdi. It was a gift from the government of 
France in recognition of the assistance given to the 
city of Paris by the citizens of New York during the 
Franco-Prussian war. 

Ninety-nine years before, Lafayette had voluntarily 
come to this country and had given his services to the 
young republic. His memory is cherished in the 
heart of Americans as that of no other foreigner has 
ever been. 

New York political parties, 1876.— In the fall 
elections New York had four candidates for the office 

(451) 



452 



The Electoral Count [Period XI 



■^|S^> 



of governor. Lucius Robinson, democrat, received 

519,831 votes; Edwin D. 
Morgan, republican, 489,371 ; 
William J. Gross, prohibi- 
tionist, 3,412; E. M. Griffin, 
greenback, 1,436. These 
figures illustrate the relative 
strength of the political par- 
ties of the State at that 
period. This election was 
the first under the new con- 
stitutional provision which 

made the governor's term of office three years. 

TiUleu-Hayes electoral count. — In the presiden- 




,^ 



Lucius Robinson. 1810-1890 
Governor, 1877-79 





Rutherford Birchard Hates, 
1822-1893: President. 1877-81 



ROSCOE CONKLING. 

1829-1888 



tial campaign of 1876 the democratic candidate was 
Governor Tilden of Xew York, while the republicans 
nominated Rutherford B. Hayes of Ohio. At this 
time Roscoe Conkling was the leading republican 
politician of New York. He had been elected to the 
United States senate in 1867, and had ably represented 
his State since that time. Like Clay and Webster and 



187?] More Con^stitutional Amendments 453 

Seward before him he had been ambitious to secure 
the presidency, and had entered the national republi- 
can convention of 1876 with a strong delegation in his 
favor. The nomination went to Mr. Hayes. The 
result of this election was so long in doubt, the final 
decision so widely commented upon and so frequently 
discredited, that many people still believe the presi- 
dency should have been given to ^ew York's distin- 
guished son, Samuel J. Tilden. 

Constitutional amendments. — Two amendments 
to the State constitution were ratified in the election 
of 1876, providing for the appointment by the gover- 
nor, with the consent of the senate, of a superintendent 
of public works, and a superintendent of State prisons. 
The " State bounty debt " was created during the 
civil war, and by laAv was limited to 30 millions. It 
actually reached the sum of 127,644,000. A sinking 
fund was provided, and the last of the debt came due 
April 7, 1877, all of which was paid except $132,418, 
which was not presented. 

A test vote. — An odd illustration of the working 

^ „ of politics occurred in the 

State republican convention 
of this year. George William 
Curtis introduced a resolu- 
tion declaring President 
Hayes's title to the presi- 
dency " as good as George 
Washington's". Under the 
leadership of Roscoe Conk- 
ling the resolution was de- 

George William Curtis, 1824-1892 f^^^^^ ^^ ^ ^^^^ ^f 295 to 105. 




454 OccuPATioi^' OF THE New Capitol [Period XI 



Legislative enactments. — The legislature of 1877 
passed an act prohibiting the sale of intoxicating 
liquors to boys under 14 years of age; also an act 
for the sale of three lateral canals — the Chenango ex- 
tension, the Chemung, and the Genesee Valley. 

This legislature also appropriated $500,000 to con- 
tinue work on the State capitol. 

The civil damage act was in 1878 sustained by 
decision of the court of appeals affirming its constitu- 
tionality. It made the landlord liable for damages 
consequent upon the sale of liquors in buildings owned 
by him. The year 1878 was remarkable for the growth of 
the greenback party , their vote being increased to 75, 173. 
The new capitol. — In 1879 the legislature met for 
the first time in the new capitol. This had been be- 
gun in 1867, was to cost four millions, and to have 
been completed in six years. It had now been in pro- 
cess of construction twelve years; had cost 15 millions 
and was but little more than half completed. The 
commissioners estimated that $4,200,000 would be 
required to complete the work. 
Alonzo B. Cornell, governor, 1879.— In the 
election of this year Alonzo 
B. Cornell received a major- 
ity of 42,000 over Governor 
Robinson, re-nominated. 
There were three other can- 
didates in the field, — John 
Kelly, independent demo- 
cratic; Harris Lewis, nation- 
al ; and Prof. John W. Mears, 
ALONZO B. coKNELL, 1832- prohibitiou. Mr. Kelly was 
Governor, 1880-83 the Candidate of a faction 




1880] 



Stalwarts ai^d Half-breeds 



455 



which withdrew from the democratic convention as 
opponents of Governor Robinson. He received 77,566 
democratic votes, showing on how narrow a margin 
elections in Xew York are secured. 

Stalwarts and half-breeds, 1880. — As the time 
for holding the national conventions approached, there 
was developed a strong tendency to place General 
Grant in nomination for a third term. This led to 
controversy in New York. Those who favored Gen- 
eral Grant's nomination were called " stalwarts ", and 




James Abraham Garfield. 




Chester Allan Arthur, 1830 



1831-1881; President, 1881 President, 1881-85 

those of the opposition "half-breeds". New York's 
delegation was divided, and after the election of Gar- 
field to the presidency, he found himself seriously at 
variance with some of the political leaders of the 
State. Chester A. Arthur of New York was elected 
vice-president. 

The Conkling-Platt resignation, 1881.— New 

York was now represented in the United States senate 
by two able men, — Roscoe Conkling and Thomas C. 
Piatt. President Garfield sent to the senate the name 



45(3 Resignations of Conkling and Platt [Period XI 

of William H. Robertson to be collector of the port of 
New York. Vice-President Arthur, Postmaster-Gen- 
eral James, and the two senators, all New York men, 
protested. 

This protest not being heeded, Conkling and Platt 
sent their resignations to Governor Cornell. It was 
the duty of the legislature, then in session, to fill the 
vacancies, and the two senators had taken this course 
as an appeal to the State for a vindication of their con- 
duct. It soon became evident that their re-election 
would not be without violent opposition. The con- 
troversy on the republican side of the legislature was 
extremely acrimonious, and has become historic as a 
test of the question whether the senators of a State 
shall control the presidential appointments in their 
State. 

The democrats, naturally not interested in the return 
of the republicans, placed in nomination candidates 
of their own. After 48 ballots, lasting from May 31 
to July 17, AVarner Miller was chosen to succeed Mr. 
Platt, and Elbridge G. Lapham to succeed Mr. Conkling. 

Chester A. Arthur^ president. — On the death of 
President Garfield, September 19, 1881, Mr. Arthur 
succeeded to the presidency, thus making Xew York 
again prominent in national affairs. 

Free canals. — The legislature of 1881 voted to 
submit to the people at the next election an amend- 
ment to the constitution abolishing tolls on all the 
State canals. The amendment was carried, and the 
canals became free in 1883. 

Cleopatra's needle. — In January, 1881, the Khe- 
dive of Egypt presented to. the United States the re- 



^^ 



1883] Grover Cleveland elected Governor 457 

markable obelisk known as " Cleopatra's needle ". It 
was brought over at the expense of Mr. William H. 
Vanderbilt, and now stands in Central park*. 

A democratic governor.— The animosities of the 
preceding year had caused a 
division in the republican 
party. As a consequence 
\ Judge Charles J. Folger, a 
man of spotless personal 
character and of excellent 
ability, an ex-secretary of 
the United States treasury, 
was rejected at the polls be- 
cause of his supposed con- 

Grover Cleveland. 1837— . i cc r> n i- 

Governor, 1883-85 nCCtlOU With the Coukling- 

President, 1885-89; 1893-97 Piatt" affair. 

This placed in the governor's chair a man then little 
known, but who has since become one of the most con- 
spicuous figures in American politics. This was Grover 
Cleveland, then sheriff of Erie county. When his 
nomination was announced, men but a hundred miles 
from Buffalo asked, "Who is he?" His career has 
been a most remarkable one — an example of " Ameri- 
can ways " which Europeans cannot understand. Like 
Lincoln, he is a man of the people; almost as silent 
as Grant, with a broad comprehension of national 
affairs, united with a strong personality which made 
him able to lead rather than follow his party. 

* This obelisk is a solid granite shaft 69|- feet high, 
and dates back to about 1600 B. C. 



458 Civil Service Reform [Period XI 

Political assessments. — The custom of taxing 
every employe of the State for the benefit of the party 
in power had grown into a system. It was practised 
openly, and no one dared refuse to pay. The legisla- 
ture of 1883 passed a law absolutely prohibiting these 
assessments. 

Civil service reform. — When the old council of 
appointment was abolished it was supposed that 
thereafter merit would have the chief weight in the 
selection of candidates for civil offices. This had 
not proved to be the case. Its power to reward and 
punish had come to be the chief reliance of each 
party by which to secure or retain the government of 
the State. With each change in the administration 
there was expected to be a complete overturning in all 
the offices filled by appointment. 

The legislature of 1883 passed the first civil service 
reform law, which promptly received the signature of 
Governor Cleveland and with some amendments re- 
mains in force to-day. 

The Niagara reservation. — One who visits N^iag- 
ara at the present time can scarcely imagine the condi- 
tions which existed twenty years ago, when the tourist 
had difficulty in finding a spot from which he could 
without payment view the falls, and when all the 
beauty was marred by unsightly mills lining the banks 
of the river. 

. In 1883, a law was enacted providing a commission 
of five men who, serving without salary, were to make 
all the preliminary arrangements for securing a State 
reservation at Niagara, removing all obstructions and 



1883] Niagara AND Adikondack Reservations 459 

making the American side forever free to all visitors*. 

The Brooklyn bridge was begun in 1870. The j 

plans and estimates were made by John A. Roebling, tjr 
the chief engineer until his death in 1869, when he ^^^ ^ 
was succeeded by his son, Washingtoir~A. Roebling. 
The bridge was opened to the public May 24, 1883. It 
cost 15 millions. The total receipts for the year end- 
ing December 1, 1893 were 11,590,140. 

The Adirondack park. — To Ex-Governor Seymour 
our State is in a large measure indebted for its great 
forest reserve about the sources of the Hudson. He 
gave much time and money to a study of that region, 
and reported on the necessity of preserving its forests. 

The legislature of 1883 took definite meaures in that 
direction, but not until twelve years later, 1895, did 
the great Adirondack park become the property of the 
State. Lands have, at different times been purchased, 
until the State now owns more than two million acres 
in that region, at a cost exceeding a million dollars. 

Evaenation day. — The 25th of November, 1883, 
being the 100th anniversary of the evacuation of New 
York by the British, the event was celebrated with 
appropriate ceremonies, during which a bronze statue 
of Washington was unveiled on the steps of the sub- 
treasury building. 

SUMMARY 

1. Centennial celebration. 

2. Political parties of 1876; Hayes-Tilden contest. 

3. Constitutional amendments. 

* The acquisition of the necessary titles cost the 
State nearly one and a half million dollars. 



460 Summary [Period XI 

4. State bounty debt. 

5. Sale of lateral canals. 

6. Civil damage act. 

7. Xew capitol. 

8. " Stalwarts " and " half-breeds ". 

9. Conkling-Platt resignation. 

10. Free canals. 

11. Mr. Cleveland governor; Cleopatra's needle. 

12. Political assessments. 

13. Civil service reform bill. 

14. ]S^iagara reservation. 

15. Brooklyn bridge. 

16. Adirondack park; evacuation day. 



CHAPTER LV 
Recent Events, 1884-1893 
The presidential election of 1884. 



-The fall 





James Gillespie Blaine, David Bennett Hill, 1843— 

1830-1893 Governor, 1885-91 

elections were anticipated with much interest, for Gov- 
ernor Cleveland had received the democratic nomina- 
tion for the presidency, and against him the republi- 
cans had nominated James G. Blaine, a man very 
popular in Xew York. The result was close, — Mr. 
Cleveland carrying the State by only 1,149. 

When the legislature convened in January, 1885, 
Mr. Cleveland resigned the office of governor, and 
Lieutenant-Governor Hill succeeded him. 

Death of General Grant. — General Grant, by his 
character and distinguished services, was a citizen of 
no single State. It was fitting that the most promi- 
nent man of his times should spend his last days in 
the Empire State, and find his burial place on the 

(461) 



462 Death of General Grant [Period XI 

banks of the historic Hudson. He had made Xew 
York city his residence since 1881. There his shat- 
tered fortunes drove him to that literary work which 
was needed for a complete history of the war; there 
his rapidly failing health drew about him his old com- 
rades in arms; thither came the great military chiefs 
of the confederacy also, to pay their last tribute of 
regard to a generous conqueror, and at Mt. McGregor 
when the last days of his life approached, to him was 
poured out the homage of a grateful nation. 

Great in war, great in peace, unconquerable in 
death, Ulysses S. Grant breathed his last on July 23, 
1885. His tomb like that at Mt. Vernon, and another 
at Springfield, will be a Mecca for loyal Americans 
while our government endures. 

The statue of liberty, the gift of the people of 
France to the people of the United States, was in 
1885 fittingly erected on Bedloe's Island in Xew York 
harbor, where the light from its torch may be the first 
to greet the stranger coming to our shores, and the 
last upon which the eye of the departing American 
shall rest*. 

Soldiers and the civil service. — During 1886 an 
amendment to the civil service laws was passed, in- 
tended to give honorably discharged soldiers and sailors 
a preference over others in appointments. This law 
has been practically inoperative since its passage. 

An act for the protection of our song-birds also be- 
came a law. This was followed in 1900 by a much 
more sweeping and stringent legal protection. 

* This statue cost the people of France a million 
francs. The base built by X^ew York cost $300,000. 



1888] Contract Labor in Prisons 463 

Legislative enactments. — The legislature of 1887 
enacted laws for the purchase and care of the old his- 
toric " State house " at Kingston; for the collection 
and preservation of battle-flags; for the incorporation 
of " Young Men's Christian associations ", and for 
the formation of building and loan associations. 
National and State elections, 1888.— Again the 
election of president and a 
^^•^^- governor of New York oc- 

curred in the same year. 

Mr. Cleveland was the 

candidate of his party for 

\ president, but was defeated 

by Benjamin Harrison. 
David B. Hill was re-elected 
governor of the State. 

BEWA.,™ HABKiBOK. 1833- Prison reform.-In 1883 

President, 1889-93 various labor Organizations 

of the State sent to the legislature their protest against 

the " contract system " then in operation in our State 

prisons. 

The ground of their complaint was that the pro- 
ducts of prisons were put into competition with free 
labor. A bill to abolish certain classes of contract 
labor was brought in, but failed of passage. 

The whole question was submitted to the people at 
the next election, and they voted to abolish the system 
entirely as soon as existing contracts expired. 

By 1888 many of the prisoners were idle, and Gov- 
ernor Hill called a special session of the legislature to 
consider the matter. An act was then passed forbid- 
ding the use of motive power in the prisons. In the 




464 The great Blizzard [Period XI 

constitutional revision of 1894 it was provided that 
after January 1, 1897, all contract labor should cease, 
and the products of the prisons should be sold only to 
the various public institutions of the State. 

The great blizzard. — In 1888 occurred the great- 
est snow storm that has ever visited our State. It was 
particularly severe in Xew York city. Eain began to 
fall March 11, and for forty-eight hours a north-east 
storm with strong winds and a heavy fall of snow 
prevailed. 

Communication with the country was suspended, 
and many articles of food became scarce. Passengers 
on railroad trains within the city limits were held pris- 
oners for 36 hours. A sad feature of the storm was 
the great loss of life from exposure *. 

Arbor day. — The legislature of 1888 directed that 
the Friday following May 1 should be observed as 
"arbor day" in the schools of the State, the purpose 
being to encourage the planting and care of trees. 

A centennial. — The centennial of Washington's 
inauguration as first president of the United States 
was observed in the city of Xew York, April 29-30, 
1889. 

The great flood. — The year 1889 is memorable for 
the disastrous floods which occurred. Xew York 
suffered less than Pennsylvania, but the loss of life 
and property in the southern portions of the State was 
very great. Our State contributed $500,000 to the 
Johnstown sufferers. 

Enactments of 1890. — A difference between Gov- 

* Ex-Senator Roscoe Conkling was one of the victims 
of this storm. 



1890] Election" Reform 465 

ernor Hill and the legislature left at the close of the 
session nearly 200 bills in his hands unsigned, but 
many important measures became laws. Among them 
were the following : 

1. A law requiring weekly payments to factory hands. 

2. The " corrupt practice law ", requiring candidates 
to render an itemized account of all election expenses. 

3. The " Saxton ballot reform law ", providing a 
secret ballot, and preventing all electioneering at the 
polls. 

4. The " personal registration law ". 

All these have done much to cleanse our State elec- 
tions by preventing fraud and intimidation at the polls. 
The State flower. — On arbor day, 1891, a vote 
was taken in 113 commissioner districts, 32 cities, 7 
normal schools and two Indian reservations for a 
" State flower ". The vote stood: for the rose, 294,- 
816; for the golden-rod, 206,402. In the cities the 
vote for the two flowers was very nearly equal ; in the 
country, it was three to one in favor of the rose. 
Roswell P. Flower^ governor. — At the Novem- 
ber election of 1891 the 
democratic candidate, Mr. 
Flower, received 582,393 
votes; J. Sloat Fassett, re- 
publican, 534,956; JohnW. 
Bruce, prohibition, 30,353. 
The presidential cam- 
paign of 1892 was a quiet 
one. New York gave Mr. 
Cleveland a majority of 

Roswell P. Flower, 1835-1899 ^ o j 

Governor, 1892-94 45,518. 




466 The Chicago Exposition [Period XI 

Columbus day, 1892. — The celebration of the 
400th anniversary of the discovery of America was to 
have taken place in 1892, but it had been planned on 
a scale so magnificent that the necessary preparations 
could not be made, and it was postponed until 1893. 

New York iu the expositiou of 1893. — Xew 

York had been one of the first cities to take active 
measures looking to this celebration; three others, St. 
Louis Chicago, and Washington, competed. 

The real strife was between Xew York and Chicago, 
but a dispute in the Xew York legislature delayed the 
necessary action of that body, and congress decided 
that the exhibition should be held in Chicago. An act 
of the legislature, April 6, 1892, made available but 
$300,000 for Xew York's share in the exhibit, and in 
January, 1893, a further appropriation of 1300,000 
was made. 

With these funds the board of managers set to work 
to make the exhibit of the Empire State one of which 
her citizens should not be ashamed. Xew York's 
disappointment and her success were both voiced in 
the first stanza of Mr. Joseph O'Connor's poem read 
on New York day: 

" It happens oftener than we deem 
That we should do the good, unsought, unknown. 

Of which we did not dream — 
That from the good we aimed at we should swerve, 
And in our dear delusion so subserve 

God's purposes, as we defeat our own." 

SUMMARY 

1. Elections of 1884. 

2. Death of General Grant. 



1893] Summary 467 

3. Statue of liberty. 

4. Soldiers and civil service. 

5. Prison reform ; the great blizzard. 

6. Arbor day. 

7. Great flood. 

8. Laws of 1890. 

9. The State flower. 

10. Columbus day. 

11. Xew York in the exposition. 



CHAPTER LVI 
The Constitutional Revision of 1894 

Changes. — For the sixth time in the history of the 
State the constitution was to be revised. The con- 
vention met at Albany, May 8, and was in session until 
Sept. 29. The presiding officer was Joseph H. Choate 
of New York — later minister to England. 

The following are the most important of the changes 
made: 

1. State and municipal elections were separated, by 
making the former come in the even-numbered years; 
the latter in the odd-numbered years*. 

2. Cities were classified. In the first-class were 
placed cities having a population of 250,000, or more; 
in the second-class those less than 250,000, but not less 
than 50,000; in the third class all others. 

3. The judiciary of the State was re-organized. 

4. The appropriation of State moneys to any insti- 
tution of learning, wholly or in part under the control 
of any religious denomination was prohibited. 

5. The use of voting machines was allowed. 

6. The term of office of the governor, lieutenant- 
governor and the five elective State officers was again 
made two years. 

* This applies only to Greater New York, Buffalo, 
Syracuse, Albany and Troy. 

(468) 



1894] Development OF THE Goveknor's Power 469 

7. The legislature was directed to meet on the first 
Wednesday in January. 

8. The senate was made to consist of 50 and the 
assembly of 150 members. 

9. The University of the State of New York and its 
regents were incorporated in the constitution. 

A brief summary of the growth of executive and 
legislative power in New York will not be out of place. 

The governor. — At first the governor was also chief 
Judge. This union of executive and judicial powers 
was the source of many of the controversies which 
finally culminated in open rebellion and revolution. 

The " director-general " of the Dutch West India 
company had associated with him a council, but it could 
render no decisions which were binding on the gover- 
nor. Under English rule the title of the chief execu- 
tive was " captain-general ", and he held his office 
during the pleasure of the crown. 

He was authorized to suspend members of his own 
council and to appoint others, not to exceed seven, in 
their places. 

He could summon, prorogue, and dissolve the gen- 
eral assembly, as he possessed the veto power over all 
acts of legislation. 

Under the first constitution the governor was elected 
for three years, could call the legislature together in 
extra session at any time, and could prorogue it for 
a time not to exceed 60 days in any one year. He 
was a member of the council of appointment, and 
president of the council of revision. He was com- 
mander-in-chief of the militia and admiral of the navy. 
He could grant pardons except in cases |^of treason or 



470 Deyelopmext of Legislative Power [Period XI 

murder; in those he could suspend sentence until the 
next meeting of the legislature. 

The constitution of 1821 changed the governor's 
term to two years, and established the present require- 
ments of elegibility. The power to prorogue the 
legislature was now taken from him, and the power to 
grant pardon for murder was conferred. 

The constitution of 1846 reduced the number of 
officers which the governor could appoint with the 
consent of the senate. 

By the amendments of 1874 the governor's term 
was again extended to three 3^ears, and his salary was 
increased from 14,000 to 110,000; and he was allowed 
to veto specific items in a bill appropriating money. 

The legislature. — The Indian war of 1641 was the 
direct cause of giving to the people of Xew Xether- 
land a voice in the government. In August of that 
year Governor Kieft called together the masters and 
heads of families. These gave their " opinion " on the 
questions presented to them, and in accordance with 
an old Eoman custom appointed " twelve men " to 
represent them thereafter. These gave too much ad- 
vice, and in February of the succeeding year Kieft 
dismissed them. 

In 1643 the governor's troubles had so increased 
that he again called on the people and asked them to 
elect " five or six persons " to consider matters which 
the governor and council should propose. 

The people preferred to leave the selection to the 
governor, only asking for themselves the privilege of 
rejecting any undesirable nominations. Then the 
" eight men" were chosen and the certificate of their 



1894] Development OF Legislative Power 471 

election is still preserved. These eight were frequently . 
called upon, and did not always agree with the opinions 
of the governor. It is worthy of notice that their 
chief differences were over questions of taxation. 

With the administration of Governor Stuyvesant 
came the " nine men ". The people elected 18 from 
whom he selected the " nine ". They received their 
appointment in September, 1647. These " nine " 
soon differed with the governor, and in the contest 
were favored by the States-general; and Stuyvesant 
was obliged to surrender a part of the prerogatives he 
had assumed. 

In November, 1653, the first " convention of dele- 
gates " in New Amsterdam met and considered the 
" condition " of the colony. Their opinions and find- 
ings were embodied in a memorial which they forwarded 
to the Amsterdam chamber of deputies. The history 
of the whole English period from 1664 to 1775 is one 
long record of the resistance of the people to arbitrary 
rule, and the changes in legislative methods were al- 
most as frequent as the changes in the governor's office. 

Under the Duke of York the governor and his coun- 
cil with the high sheriff and justices not only sat as a 
court of justice but also constituted a legislative body 
invested with the power of making, altering and 
abolishing laws, except such as referred to customs. 

The first assembly was convened by Governor Don- 
gan in 1683 and its first act was to formulate the cele- 
brated " charter of liberties ", which was annulled by 
James II in 1685. 

In 1686 James abolished the general assembly also, 



472 Development OF Legislative Power [Period XI 

and placed all legislative powers in the hands of the 
governor and his council. 

Under the kindlier rule of William and Mary, the 
assembly was re-established by Governor Sloughter in 
1691, and the 1st assembly that convened thereafter 
re-enacted the old charter of liberties. Even now 
this was granting too much to the people; it was re- 
pealed in 1697, and an absolute veto power over all 
acts of the assembly given to the governor. In 1698 
the governor dissolved the assembly for being " dis- 
loyal ". 

The 9th assembly was no more pliant, but freely 
criticised the governor, and stood for the rights of the 
people. The 10th was even more stubborn and called 
the governor to account for all his expenditures. The 
11th charged that the levying of taxes without the 
consent of the people was illegal, and was dissolved for 
the act. 

This struggle between the governor and the people 
continued until the accession of George I in 1714, 
when the new whig ministry conceded the right of the 
colonists to levy their own taxes. 

Thereafter, to the revolution, the struggle continued 
over the amounts to be raised and the royal encroach- 
ments on other rights. Failure to secure these rights 
led first to resistance by the colonies, and then to re- 
taliation on the part of England. This provoked 
revolution and the entire overthrow of English au- 
thority in the colony. 

With revolution perished all the old forms of gov- 
ernment, and new forms became necessary. In the 
formation of these, parties arose that divided the 



1894] Development of Legislative Powee 473 

people. These are often called the peace party, the 
party of action, the party of union. 

The peace party would not press for further rights. 
The party for action would at once adopt retaliatory 
measures. The party of union would wait until united 
action with the other colonies could be agreed upon. 
From this rose the " committee of fifty-one " as a 
compromise measure. This committee urged concert 
of action and a general congress. This committee 
secured the first continental congress. 

It was succeeded by a " committee of sixty " which 
was charged with the duty of carrying into effect the 
recommendations of congress. 

For this purpose it issued a call for the election of 
delegates to a provincial congress which met in New 
York in May, 1775. 

With the first act of war came the appointment of 
an executive committee of one hundred, which secured 
the election of delegates to New York's first provin- 
cial congress. 

This congress passed the resolution which practically 
renounced all obligation to the English government. 
In 1776 it assumed the name " convention of repre- 
sentatives of the State of Xew York ", and guided 
all the affairs of the colony until the adoption of the 
constitution in 1777. 

SUMMARY 

1. Constitutional revision of 1894. 

2. Development of the power of the governor. 

3. Development of the power of the legislature. 

4. The twelve men, 1641. 



474 Summary [Period XI 

5. The eight men, 1643. 

6. The nine men, 1647. ", . . ; 

7. The convention of delegates, 1653. 

8. The first assembly, 1683. "' 'jj.'; 

9. The assemblies of 1691-1714. 

10. The committee of fifty-one, 1774. 

11. The committee of sixty, 1775. 

12. The provincial congress, 1775. 

13. The executive committea of one hundred, 1775. 

14. The convention of representatives, 1776. 

15. The legislature, 1777. 



CHAPTEE LVII 
Recent Events, 1894-1898 

The Lexow investigation. — So many complaints 
had been made against the police department of New 
York by the " society for the prevention of crime ", 
of which Rev. C, H. Parkhurst was president, that an 
investigation was ordered. This was conducted in 
1894 by a legislative committee of which Mr. Clarence 
Lexow was chairman. The result was the indictment 
of many persons connected with the police department. 

Electric power at Niagara. — In 1886 a charter 
had been granted to a company allowing the use of 
the falls for the generation of electricity. Work was 
begun in 1893. In 1894 an appeal was made to the 
constitutional committee of the State to restrict the 
further use of this power. It was refused on the 
ground that such a restriction would constitute a 
monopoly of that power to those companies already 
chartered. 

Compulsory education^ 1894. — Previous laws 
intended to compel the attendance of certain pupils 
on the public schools had failed to be effective for lack 
of sufficient penalties, a more stringent law was there- 
fore passed by the legislature of 1894. 

It placed private and parochial schools under the 
supervision of public school authorities in matters of 
attendance, and provided special attendance officers 

and ample penalties. 

(475) 




476 Enlargement of the Erie Canal [Period XI 

111 the fall election of 1894 the people ratified 
the new constitution by a 
majority of 156,108, and 
elected as governor the re- 
publican candidate, Levi P. 
Morton, a former minister 
to France and vice-president 
of the United States. 

The legislative enact- 
ments of 1895 included a 
requirement that the United 

Levi Parsons ^Morton. 1824— 

Governor, 1895-96 Statcs flag be displayed OU 

all school buildings, when schools are in session; 
made the study of the effects of stimulants and narcotics 
compulsory in all schools; provided for the use of the 
blanket ballot, and for the submission to the people of 
a proposition to appropriate 9 millions to enlarge the 
Erie canal *. 

Libraries in New York city. — A joint committee 
representing the Tilden trust fund, the Astor library, 
and the Lenox library agreed, Feb. 22, 1895, upon a 
plan for the consolidation of all these into one great 
public institution devoted to the free use of the people. 
The new library is known as '' The Xew York Public 
Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations ", and 
its building will be upon the site of the old reservoir, 
Fifth avenue and 42d street. 

The Raines law. — The legislature was now strongly 

* This act was approved by the people in November, 
1895, by a majority of 343,770 votes. It has since 
given rise to much controversy. 



1896] The Greater New York 477 

republican, and in full accord with the governor, who 
did not veto a single bill. One important measure 
before it was the " Raines bill ", intended both to regu- 
late the traffic in intoxicating liquors and to provide 
for local option. The passage of this bill met with 
vigorous opposition, but it finally became a law and is 
still (1900) in operation. 

Grreater New York. — A second measure, and one 
which attracted the attention of the whole country, 
was the " Greater New York bill ". This act, passed 
by the legislature of 1896, consolidated into one 
municipality New York city, the counties of Kings 
and Richmond, Long Island City, the towns of New- 
ton, Flushing and Jamaica, and a part of the town of 
Hempstead. 

A commission to inquire into the expediency of this 
consolidation had been appointed in 1890, and had 
brought in a bill in 1893. It was in 1895 submitted 
to the people of the cities and towns to be included 
with the result that all except two towns voted in its 
favor. 

On April 12, 1897, a charter passed the legislature 
and received the signature of Governor Black. The 
new metropolis had an area of 359 square miles and a 
population of 3,500,000. By the terms of the act the 
consolidation took place January 1, 1898. 

The presidential campaign of I8965 William 
McKinley elected. — Again a presidential election 
aroused the people. There were eight tickets in the 
field: republican, democratic, prohibition (regular), 
prohibition (national), socialist labor, democratic free 
silver, populist, silver party. 



478 Dedication OF Gkant's Tomb [Period XI 

The chief issue, as stated, was between the gold 





William McKinlet, 1844— Frank S. Black, 1853— 

President, 1897— Governor, 1897-98 

standard and the free coinage of silver. New York 
from her large commercial interests took the side of 
the gold standard, and gave a majority of 268,825 for 
William McKinley of Ohio. 

ISTational issues controlled all elections in the State, 
and along with a majority for the McKinley electoral 
ticket New York elected a republican governor, 
Frank S. Black of Troy. 

In January, 1897, Thomas C. Piatt was again elected 
to the United States senate, after an interval of 15 years. 

Dedication of Grant's tomb. — The remains of 
the general had been removed on April 18, 1897, from 
their temporary resting place to the tomb in Riverside 
park, and on April 27, the 75th anniversary of General 
Grant's birth, his tomb was dedicated. Xew York 
city appropriated $50,000 for expenses of the cere- 
monies. 

President McKinley's first words in his brief address 
were, " A great life dedicated to the welfare of the 
nation here finds its earthly coronation." 



1898] ■ The Spanish War 479 

Events of 1898. — The legislature which met in 
January passed a large number of local bills, transacted 
the usual and necessary State business and adjourned 
early. 

Even while in session the members were evidently 
influenced by the feeling, then pervading the whole 
country, that war with Spain was among the possibilities. 

They passed many bills relating to armories and the 
State militia, and appropriated large sums of money 
for military purposes ; while they also provided gen- 
erously for schools and State charities. Governor 
Black called the legislature together in extra session, 
July 11, to provide for manner, time and places for 
receiving the votes of such citizens of the State as 
should be in the field during the Xovember election. 

The county of Nassau was, in April, set off from 
Queens county. It is comprised within the limits of 
the towns of Hempstead, North Hempstead and Oys- 
ter Bay. 

Election of Theodore Roosevelt, 1898.— The 
November election excited unusual interest, and re- 
sulted in the choice of the entire republican State tick- 
et, with a republican majority in both branches of the 
legislature. Colonel Eoosevelt's personal popularity, 
honestly won, undoubtedly aided in the general re- 
sult. The old war spirit was abroad and hero worship 
again possessed the minds of the people. 

New York in the Spanish war. — New York can 
claim no priority in the success of the war with 
Spain, but she may justly share in the honors of its 
brilliant events. Her people without any distinction 
of party loyally sustained President McKiniey in all 



480 The Spanish War [Period XI 

his war measures, and took a reasonable pride in his 
firm military policy. 

The march of events from the time the Maine 
entered Havana harbor, Jan. 24, to the settlement of 
the preliminary terms of peace, Xov. 28, were so rapid 
as to appear, in review, like the different scenes in a 
drama *. 

New York's contribution to the war. — In re- 
sponse to the president's first call, Xew York sent two 
troops of cavalry, mounted, uniformed and fully 
equipped, and 12 regiments of infantry ready for the 
field. On receipt of the second call Xew York at once 
sent forward 3,772 men, who were placed in the regi- 
ments already formed. In June the State was asked 
to furnish an additional force of three batteries and 
three regiments — in all 4,186 men. 

In addition to this land force the State furnished 
851 men for the navy from her "naval militia". A 
large part of these went on board the " Yankee''^ a 
merchant vessel, converted into a man-of-war, as part 
of the " mosquito" fleet. " The Yankee was the first 
vessel, manned by naval militia, to be under fire, and 
the last ship to leave the scene of action at the Santiago 
battle of June 6 f. " The following partial list of naval 
officers from J^ew York is of interest: Rear- Admirals 

* The student is likely to make the mistake of sup- 
posing that the wrecking of the Maine was the cause 
of the war. It was only one incident in a long con- 
troversy. 

t See report of adjutant-general of New l^ork for 
1898. 



1898] The Spai^tish War 481 

Sampson, Norton, Sicard; Commanders Symonds, Gib- 
son, Belknap, Lillie, Nichols, Brownson, Percy, Han- 
ford, Craig; Commodore Howell; Captains Sigsbee, 
Philip, Cooper, Crowninshield, Ludlow, Shepard. 

The cost to New York. — The total number of 
lives contributed for Cuban independence by New 
York, cannot now be told with any exactness. The 
money cost is substantially as follows: 

For pay to officers and men $ 248,342.17 

For uniforms, etc 264,278.55 

For equipments 92,856.38 

For camp expenses 127,858.71 

For medical supplies 12,510.86 

For ammunition and arms 9,072.62 

For naval militia 21,472.09 

For flags and colors 1,497.80 

For miscellaneous expenses 172,069.78 

1949,958.96 
From this sum there is claimed as a rebate 

from the United States government... 380,796.56 

Leaving total cost to the State ..$ 569,162.40 

The total amount of State appropriations 
for military purposes during the year 
was I 789,625.00 

SUMMARY 

1. Lexow investigation. 

2. Electric power at Niagara. 

3. Compulsory education. 

4. New York city libraries. 

5. The Raines law. 

6. Greater New York. 



482 Summary [Period XI 

7. New York and the gold standard. 

8. Dedication of Grant's tomb. 

9. Legislative action. 

10. New York in the Cuban war. 

11. The cost to New York. 



CHAPTER LVIII 
Receipt Events, 1899-1900 

Independent element. — In the political field there 
"have been few quieter years in the history of the State 
than 1899. The usual result of an attempt to force 
eKtreme measures upon a great party had driven a large 
portion of the independent element from the demo- 
cratic to the republican ranks, and the whole adminis- 
tration of the State govenment was in the hands of the 
republicans. 

Chauncey M. Depew, republican, was elected to the 
United States senate to take the place of Edward 
Murphy, democrat. 

Legislation. — The governor and legislature were in 
accord, and nearly every measure which passed the 
legislature received the governor's signature. 

Laws were enacted which were intended still further 
to protect the food supply of our great cities. 

Enlarged powers were conferred upon the governor 
for the protection of the elective franchise and for the 
punishment of crimes against the election laws. 

The high license law was amended and made more 
stringent in its penalties. 

Taxation. — The most important legislative measure 
of the year was with reference to taxation. When it 
is considered that besides the enormous sums raised by 
taxation for State purposes the people must meet other 
and often larger levies for county, municipal, and 
school purposes, the question how these taxes shall be 

(483) 



484 Taxation of Franchises [Period XI 

levied becomes one of the most important with which 
the legislature has to deal. 

A large part of the property of the State, both real 
and personal, has always been beyond the reach of the 
tax-gatherer. Vast sums in the possession of churches 
and other ecclesiastical associations have never been 
taxed. 

Other and still larger sums are in the possession of 
individuals who manage to secrete their wealth. Many 
millions are in the keeping of savings banks and other 
depositories into which the assessor never enters. 

Besides these there are many valuable franchises 
held by different corporations which have escaped taxa- 
tion under decisions of the court of appeals given in 
1891 and 1897, by which it was held that only the 
tangible real and personal property of such corpora- 
tions could be taxed. 

A new franchise law known as the " Ford bill " 
passed both houses of the legislature near the close of 
the regular session, intended to remedy this defect. 
Some of its provisions were unsatisfactory to the gov- 
ernor. He therefore withheld his signature and called 
a special session to meet on May 22. At this extraor- 
dinary session the bill was amended, again passed by 
both houses and signed by the governor. 

This law makes it the duty of the State assessors to 
assess every franchise in the State according to its 
value, even though it does not own a foot of real 
estate*. 

* It was estimated that this law would yield about 
17 millions in taxes, of which nearly 10 millions would 
be collected in Xew York city alone. 



1900J Appropriation's of 1900 485 

The legislature of 1900 was republican in both 
branches. It met Jan. 3 and adjourned April 6, yet it 
passed 776 laws, 409 of which were purely local, hav- 
ing no aipplication to the State at large. 

This growth of legislation is viewed with concern by 
many thoughtful men. 

Appropriations.— Among the appropriations made 
were the following: 

To the State department of public instruction, 

$4,563,700. 

To the regents of the university, 1740,540. 

For the State exhibit in the Paris exposition, $50,000. 

For the statue of Lafayette, to be presented to the 
city of Paris by the United States, 110,000. 

For a monument to the memory of the martyrs who 
perished in the prison ships in New York harbor dur- 
ing the war of the revolution*, $25,000. 

For the care of Stony Point reservation, $3,000. 

Fort George reservation. — Within the year the 
State acquired a title to the lands which include 
the old battle-field of Lake George (1755) and Fort 
George, which is still in a fair state of preservation. 
This fort was built by Sir William Johnson in 1757, 
and was for many years an out-post for protection 
against French invasion. 

The forest, fish and game law. — A comprehen- 
sive law for the preservation of our remaining forests, 
and fish and game was passed at this session. The act 
repeals most of the previous laws on these subjects, 

* The monument is to be erected in Brooklyn, and 
the chief expense is to be borne by New York city. 



486 The Palisades [Period XI 

and is a serious effort to save from destruction those 
forests of the State which still border our rivers and 
clothe our mountains. 

The Palisades. — Just complaint has long been 
made against the constant encroachment upon the 
Palisades of the Hudson. The legislature of 1900 
passed a law which creates a commission having 
power to locate a " Palisades interstate park ", and 
gives to this commission authority to purchase or con- 
demn the necessary lands for the purpose of such park. 

Compulsory education for Indian children. — 

For many years philanthropists have felt that some- 
thing should be done for the improvement of the In- 
dians on the Allegany and Cattaraugus reservation. 
It was reserved for the legislature of 1900 to pass a 
stringent compulsory education law for the children 
of these reservations. 

It requires that every Indian child between the ages 
of six and sixteen shall be a regular attendant upon 
school during a considerable portion of the year. In 
this way it is intended ultimately to prepare them for 
full citizenship. 

Colored children in public schools. — In 1894 a 
law was passed which permitted the school authorities 
of any incorporated city or village to establish separate 
schools for colored children. This act was repealed 
in 1900 and the following enacted in its place: " 'No 
person shall be refused admission into or be excluded 
from any public school in the State of New York on 
account of race or color." 

The canal enlargement. — The question of enlarge- 



1900] Great En-terprises 487 

ment or ultimate abandonment of the State's remaining 
canals is still pressed for settlement. The opposition 
to enlarging and improving them comes from the same 
quarter as did the opposition to their original con- 
struction and the arguments are the same — with the 
addition of the active cooperation of the railroad in- 
terests against the enlargement. 

The legislature went no further than to authorize 
the State engineer and surveyor to make the necessary- 
surveys and estimates for a canal of such dimensions 
as shall carry and lock boats 150 feet in length, 25 feet 
in width, and of 10 feet draft. For expense of such 
surveys 1200,000 was appropriated*. 

GREAT ENTERPRISES 

The new Brooklyn bridge. — This structure, now 
under way, will be if not the handsomest, at least the 
largest and staunchest of the notable suspension 
bridges of the world. 

Its dimensions are to be as follows: Total length 
7,200 feet; suspended span 1,600 feet; extreme width 
118 feet; height of the towers 310 feet. 

New York rapid transit.— On March 24, 1900, 
the first spadeful of earth was removed for New 
York's great underground railway. This, when com- 
pleted, will exceed in magnitude anything of the kind 
ever before undertaken. It is to be of four tracks, in 
two stories, two above and two below, will be 13J miles 
in total length, is to be completed in three years and 
will cost 35 millions. 

* It is estimated that more than $60,000,000 would 
be required to build such a canal. 



488 Domination OF Gov. EoosEYELT [Period XI 

The Hudson tunnel. — This great enterprise, un- 
dertaken in 1873, has been long delayed. After 4,077 
feet of it had been completed work stopped and the 
entire property was sold for $300,000, with a debt 
against it of $4,000,000. The company which now 
owns the franchise expects to complete it within one 
year. 

The total distance from Jersey City to the New 
York terminus at Fifteenth street is 5,690 feet. The 
tunnel is for the use of a double-tracked electric road 
— designed to carry both freight and passengers. 

New York and the vice-presidency.— At the 
republican national convention held in Philadelphia, 
June 19-21, in spite of his very frankly expressed 
wishes to the contrary, Governor Roosevelt was unani- 
mously nominated for the office of vice-president. 

SUMMARY 

1. Republican predominance at Albany. 

2. Legislation of 1899. 

3. Taxation of franchises. 

4. Legislation of 1900. 

5. Appropriations for 1900. 

6. The Fort George reservation. 

7. The palisades. 

8. Education of Indian children. 

9. Colored children admitted to all public schools. 

10. Enlargement of the Erie canal. 

11. Great enterprises under way. 

12. Gov. Roosevelt nominated for vice-president. 



CHAPTER LIX 
Education in New York 

Under the Dutch. — The history of the schools of 
[NTew York begins with the settlement of the State by 
the Dutch, who in their own country appreciated the 
importance of popular education. 

Says Brodhead: " Neither the perils of war, nor the 
busy pursuit of gain, nor the excitement of political 
strife, ever caused them to neglect the education of 
their children." As early as 1G29, the Dutch West 
India company, in its charter enacted that the patroons 
and colonists should " in the speediest way possible find 
ways and means whereby they might supply a minister 
and a schoolmaster." 

With the Dutch, schools were free. They had no 
other idea of a school. But they were economical, 
and until the year 1633 the offices of minister and 
teacher were often united. 

By the end of Stuyvesant's administration there 
were in New Amsterdam three public schools, a dozen 
or more private schools, and one Latin school. The 
first schoolmaster of whom we have any knowledge 
was Adam Roelandsen, who taught from 1633 to 1639. 
He was succeeded by Jan Cornelissen, and he in turn 
by William Vestius *. 

Of what was taught in those early Dutch schools 
we know little, but we find that the schoolmaster often 

* A school was established in Brooklyn in 1661, in 
Flatbush in 1659, and in Albany ia 1650. 



490 Education under the Dutch 

combined teaching with aome odd, outside occupation, 
and that he took in payment whatever his patrons 
could spare. Koelandsen, for example, did washing to 
eke out his salary, as we find 'that he brought action 
against one De Voocht for " washing his linen ". De 
Voocht did not refuse to pay, but insisted that pay- 
ment should not be made till the end of the year, and 
the court sustained him, holding the schoolmaster to the 
year's washing. We also know that Roelandsen was a 
carpenter, for he contracted to build a house "thirty 
feet long, eighteen feet wide and eight feet high", 
which house was to have an "entry three feet wide, 
two doors, a pantry, a bedstead*, a staircase and a 
mantel -piece " ; for all of which he was to receive $140. 

After the English conquest, the Dutch were al- 
lowed to continue their schools, but received for their 
support no municipal aid. Governor Xicolls did very 
little to increase their number, as it was sufficient for 
him, he argued, to see that ministers were supported. 

There was some excuse for this in the fact that the 
Dutch language was used entirely in business. An 
English teacher could not be placed in the Dutch 
schools. The English knew nothing of free schools 
and did not care to perpetuate the Dutch language in 
the colony. 

Governor Nicolls did, however, in 1665, license one 
John Shute to open an English school; and in 1687 a 
free grammar school was also licensed, but there is 
no evidence that it was opened until 1704 when, under 
Governor Cornbury, it was taught by George Muirson. 

* Bedsteads were often let into the wall of the house. 



Under the English 401 

(Kjvernor Cornbury wan active in the establishment 
of both churches and schools, chiefly, it is supposed, 
for the inculcation of the doctrines of the church of 
England. 

In 1710, the "Society for the Propagation of the 
Gospel" established Trinity school in New York, and 
here forty pupils were taught free. 'J'he standard 
studies were then reading, writing, arithmetic, and the 
catechism of the English church. 

Germ of Columbia university. — An act was 
passed in ]7.'52 to "encourage a public school in ^ew 
York city" for teaching Latin, Greek, and mathe- 
matics; this was the germ of Columbia university. 

The idea of taxing the people for the suj)port of 
schools was new to the English. To them it seemed 
proper to raise money for forts and guns and the pay- 
ment of soldiers, but not for educational purposes. 
In 1740 a lottery was established to raise £2,2o0 
" for the encouragement of 
learning and the founding 
of a college ". Later, this 
sum was increased to £3,443, 
and trustees were appointed 
to conduct the affairs of the 
proposed college. The Rev. 
Samuel Johnson was elected 
its first president* at a sal- 
ary of £250, and the royal 
SAM.KL JOHNSON. 1096-1772 ^hartcr establishing King's 
(Columbia) college bears date Oct. 31, 1754. 

* The picture on page 192 is of the son of Samuel 
Johnson. He was the first president of Columbia 




492 Eegents of the Un^iversity 

Regents of the University. — One of the first 
cares of the colonial legislature after the close of the 
revolution was the pi*omotion of popular education. 
In May, 3 784, King's college was re-chartered as 
Columbia college, and its management placed in the 
hands of a board called " regents of the University". 
This board was authorized to found schools and colleges 
in any part of the State. 

In 1787 the college was placed under a board of trus- 
tees and the title of the old board was changed to " The 
regents of the University of the State of New York ". 
It was authorized " to hold property to the amount of 
the annual income of 40,000 bushels of wheat", to 
incorporate academies and colleges, and to confer de- 
grees. The first four chancellors were all governors — 
George Clinton, Jay, Lewis, and Tompkins — and the 
board has always included some of the most eminent 
citizens of the State. To this board of regents the 
State owes a great debt for the inception and guardian- 
ship of what is best in her school system. 

Public schools. — In their annual report for 1793, 
the regents recommended the establishment of a sys- 
tem of public schools, and in 1795 in his message to 
the legislature. Governor Clinton urged the establish- 
ment of common schools throughout the State. In 
response to this appeal of the governor, the legislature 
on April 9 passed a law entitled, " An act for the pur- 
pose of encouraging and maintaining schools in the 
several cities and towns of the State in which the 

college under that name, but the third president of 
what was at first called King's college. 



Public Schools 493 

children of the inhabitants of the State shall be in- 
structed in the English language, or be taught Eng- 
lish grammar, arithmetic, mathematics, and such other 
branches as are most useful and necessary to complete 
a good English education." The sum of 150,000 a 
year for five years was appropriated for the support of 
such schools. 

Here was the foundation of ^ew York's system of 
public schools, conceived by the board of regents, 
recommended by New York's first governor, and 
founded by the legislature of the State*. 

The carefully worded act of appropriation, the 
smallness of the sum granted, and its limitation to 
five years all show that this was considered an experi- 
ment. 

The free school society of New York city was 
organized in 1805. It grew out of the " historical 
society ". The first meeting was held at the house of 
John Murray, jr., in Pearl street. 

The membership fee was fixed at eight dollars, and 
the subscription list, still preserved, is headed by the 
name of DeWitt Clinton with 1200. 

A permanent foundation. — Not until the year 
1812, did the legislature make permanent provision for 
a system of schools. Acts had been passed establish- 
ing more lotteries, and various schools and colleges 
had been founded by their aid; but in this year a law 
was passed appropriating 150,000 annually thereafter, 
and authorizing each town to levy a tax equal to its 
share in this appropriation. 

* The reports for the year 1798 show 1,352 schools 
in operation with an attendance of 59,660 pupils. 



494 The School Fund 

In 1814 it was found necessary to direct that each 
town should raise this amount under penalty of for- 
feiture of its share in the State appropriation. As 
Xew York city did not share in the benefits of the 
general act of 1812, a supplementary act was passed 
in 1813, admitting the city to the benefits of the com- 
mon school fund. 

The school fund. — How are schools supported ? 
As the school system developed, three separate per- 
manent funds were established, the incomes from 
which are still devoted to the support of the public 
schools of the State; and these have, in later years, 
been supplemented by a State tax and by local taxation 
in any district. 

1. The literature fund came originally from the pro- 
ceeds of the various lotteries established by legislative 
enactment in 1801, and has been increased from differ- 
ent sources since that time, chiefly by appropriations 
made by the legislature. This was managed by the 
regents until 1832, when it was transferred to the 
care of the State comptroller *. 

2. The common school fund originated in 1805, when 
the legislature, at the suggestion of Governor Lewis, 
ordered that the proceeds from the sales of 500,000 
acres of vacant lands should be set aside as a per- 
manent school fund. 

3. The United States deposit fund has already been ex- 
plained on page 393. 

The battle for free schools. — All this had been 

* Judge Peck of Otsego county may be called the 
author of the literature fund. 



The Schools made Free 495 

done by the State, and yet the schools were not free. 
Two customs prevailed. One was to hire a " cheap " 
teacher and pay only what the district received from 
the State, in what is called " public money " ; this pro- 
vided a free school, but usually a poor one. The other 
plan was to use all the public money received, and 
make up the deficiency by what was called a " rate 
bill "; in other words, require each parent to pay an 
amount in proportion to the number of children he 
sent to school. 

This did not make a free school, and it kept out of 
school the children of both the poor and of the penu- 
rious. 

In 1849 the legislature passed a law abolishing the 
rate bill ; but such an opposition developed that this 
law was repealed by the very next legislature (1850), 
and in place of the free school bill, there was sub- 
stituted an appropriation of 1800,000. The next year 
this was changed, and the proceeds of a tax of three- 
fourths of a mill was substituted. But the people of 
'New York were determined to have free schools, and 
in 1867 the odious rate bill was finally and forever 
abolished. 

School supervision. — Gideon Hawley, an excellent 
organizer, was elected superintendent in 1814, and 
served until 1821, at a salary of 1300. His salary 
was in no way proportionate to his services, but the 
officious " council of appointment " wanted even that 
position and removed him to make a place for one of 
their dependents. The legislature was helpless, so far 
as Mr. Hawley was concerned, but at the end of sixty 
days it abolished the office and turned the schools over 



496 Systems of School Superyisiox 

to the secretary of state, in whose care they remained 
33 years. Among men who filled this double office 
with especial acceptance may be named John A. Dix 
(1833-39, see page 448), afterward governor, whose 
"decisions" (1837) made what was practically the 
first Code of Public Instruction. 

In 1854 the office of State superintendent was 
again established, and has since been maintained. 

Among the many improvements introduced may be 
mentioned the establishment of normal schools and 
teachers' training classes, a system of grading and a 
course of study for common schools, and especially 
the system of uniform examinations. 

The law of 1822 gave the right of appeal to the 
State superintendent in all questions arising under the 
school laws. This, one of the wisest of all our State 
laws, has since that date practically kept school mat- 
ters out of courts of justice, and provided a speedy 
and equitable adjustment of all differences. 

Town commissioners. — By the law of 1795, each 
town was to elect three or more commissioners, whose 
duty it was to take general charge of the schools, 
license teachers, and apportion school funds to the 
several districts. By the law of 1812, each town was 
required to elect three commissioners of common 
schools, whose duty it was to organize the town into 
districts and supervise as before, and also to elect one 
or more inspectors who licensed teachers and inspected 
schools. 

The law of 1841 created the office of county superin- 
tendent. A law of 1843 abolished the offices of town 



Present Features of School System 499 

commissioners and town inspectors, and created the 
office of town superintendent. 

In 1847 the office of county superintendent was 
abolished, and district reports were made to the 
county clerks. 

In 1856 the office of town superintendent was 
abolished and that of school commissioner was created. 
This still continues. 

These changes have been experimental. The depart- 
ment of superintendence is now simple but effective, 
there being but three divisions: the trustee, or board 
of education; the school commissioner; and the State 
department of public instruction, with a State superin- 
tendent at its head. 

Normal schools. — New York was the second State 
to make provision for the systematic training of teach- 
ers, by founding at Albany in 1844 the State normal 
school (now the l^ormal college). Eleven more schools 
have since been created. 

Training classes for teachers. — In order to in- 
crease still further the efficiency of the public school, 
a system of "teachers training classes" was estab- 
lished. In these some of the advantages of profes- 
sional training are placed within the reach of every 
teacher. The requirements for admission have been 
steadily raised and their efficiency increased. 

There were, in 1898, 11,738 school districts in the 
State in which one or more teachers were employed. 
There were, in the same year, under the supervision of 
the regents, 797 high schools, academies, colleges, 
and universities. In the public schools of the State 



500 Summary 

1,203,199 pupils were taught by 34,363 teachers. In 
the year 1897, the State expended for the education of 
its children $26,689,856. 

SUMMARY 

1. The Dutch and education. 

2. Growth of schools under the Dutch. 

3. The first schoolmasters and their pay. 

4. Schools after English occupancy. 

5. The first English schoolmaster, 1704. 

6. Trinity church and school, 1710. 

7. The first "school-law", 1732. 

8. Lotteries and schools, 1746. 

9. King's college, 1754. 

10. Schools after the revolution. 

11. The board of regents, 1787. 

12. Governor Clinton and common schools, 1795. 

13. Foundation of public schools; the board of re- 
gents; Governor Clinton; the legislature. 

14. The free school society of 1805. 

15. The permanent foundation, 1812 and 1814. 

16. School funds; the three sources. 

17. Battle for free schools, 1849-1867. 

18. School supervison, 1814-1854. 

19. Gideon Hawley. 

20. Progress in supervision. 

21. Town and county supervision. 

22. Normal schools; the first; present numbers. 

23. Eegents of University; organization of. 

24. Number of institutions and pupils, and expense 
of schools. 



CHAPTER LX 

FOUK COLON^IAL FAMILIES 

Four families. — The early history of New York 
was greatly influenced by four families, prominent 
not only in early colonial times but through the 
revolution and the struggles of the commonwealth in 
the succeeding period. 

Often rivals, they were all steadfastly loyal to their 
State and nation, and by their ability, their wealth, 
and their high social position were able to render most 
important service. 

These were the Schuylers, the Van Eensselaers, the 
Livingstons, and the Clintons. 

The Schuylers. — The first Schuyler who became 
prominent was Colonel Peter Schuyler (page 132), the 
son of Philip Pieterson Schuyler, a German immigrant 
who settled on the estate of Patroon Van Rensselaer. 
Pieterson Schuyler reared a remarkable family. His 
wife was a daughter of a Van Sclechtenhorst. Their 
eldest daughter, Gertrude, married a Van Cortlandt; 
the second, Alida, a Livingston, and after his death 
a Van Rensselaer. The eldest son was Peter Schuy- 
ler, the first mayor of Albany, the Colonel Peter 
Schuyler so influential with the Iroquois Indians. 

The second son, Philip, settled in Albany and was 
influential in all the affairs of that frontier town. 

The youngest son, John, became a soldier, and at 
(501) 



502 The Van Rensselaeks 

twenty-three was a captain in the American forces 
during the French and Indian war. He was the 
grandfather of General Philij) Schuyler of revolution- 
ary fame. (See pages 178, 264). 

The Tan Rensselaers.— The founder of " Rensse- 
laerwick " was Killian Van Rensselaer, a diamond mer- 
chant of Amsterdam, and an influential director of the 
Dutch West India company. He never visited this 
country, but managed his vast estate through a com- 
missary. He is described as an " educated, refined 
gentleman ". See page 52. 

On his death his sons removed to this country, his 

eldest son, Jeremias, being 

the first resident patroon. 

This patroon married a Van 

Cortlandt, and the family 

early became allied by mar- 

* • riage with both the Schuylers 

\ f- ^^^^ ■ and the Livingstons. The 

T' Van Rensselaers brought to 

New York all their posses- 

jeremias Van RENSSELAER sions, which wcrc a perma- 

•-1674 nent addition to the wealth 

of the colony. The early members of this family 

built elegant residences and lived in true baronial style. 

Jeremias Van Rensselaer was a member of the 

*' landtdag" of 1664. Later, he claimed the whole of 

Albany as a part of his possessions. It was to him 

that Governor Xicolls made the historic remark, " Do 

not grasp at too much authority. If you imagine 

that there is pleasure in authority, I wish that I could 





The Livingstons 503 

serve your appetite, for, in it, I have found only 
trouble." 

As time wore on, the Van Kensselaers ceased to 
maintain their baronial cus- 
toms and identified them- 
selves with all the interests 
of the colony. In the French 
and Indian war General Rob- 
ert Van Rensselaer became 
prominent. Stephen Van 
Rensselaer was lieutenant- 
governor in 1795, was a re- 
Stephen Van eensselaer gent of the University, and 
1764-1839 in the war of 1812 did good 

service at Niagara. In 1844, Stephen Van Rensselaer, 
the last patroon, broke up the great estate. 

The name, always conspicuous, is still an honored 
one in the State. 

The Livingstons of New York originated with 
Robert Livingston (see page 116), who came from Scot- 
land about 1675. His ability was recognized by Gov- 
ernor Andros, who made him Indian commissioner at 
Albany. He is described as a "bold, adventurous 
man", and will be remembered, for his contest with 
poor Jacob Leisler. He married a Van Rensselaer 
and soon acquired an estate second only to that of 
the patroon. Sixteen Livingstons were prominent 
enough to be mentioned in a history of New York 
city. Of his grandsons, Philip (see page 216) repre- 
sented New York in the colonial house of assembly 
1758-1769, and signed the Declaration of Independ- 



504 The Clintons 

ence. His is one of the five figures usually grouped 
in the centre of the group of signers. Robert R. 
Livingston (see page 260), another grandson, was a 
member of the stamp act congress and of the revolu- 
tionary correspondence committee, and first chancellor 





Edward Livingston, 1764-1836 Brockholst Livingston. 1757-1823 

of the State. Edward, his brother, was a congress- 
man and minister to France. A great grandson, 
Brockholst Livingston, served at Ticonderoga and in 
the campaign against Burgoyne, and was at his death a 
justice of the United States supreme court. 

The Clintons. — The Clintons were less numerous 
but certainly not less influential than the families al- 
ready mentioned. Charles Clinton, grandfather of 
Governor George and General James Clinton, came 
from England in 1729 and founded a settlement in 
Ulster county, which he called " Little Britain ". 
General James Clinton (see page 272), served his 
country faithfully during the entire revolutionary 
war, and was a member of the court before which 
Major Andre was tried. 

The most conspicuous man in Xew York during 



The Clintoi^s 505 

this period was probably general, afterward governor, 
George Clinton (see page 260). He was a member of 
the second continental congress, and entered the mili- 
tary service in 1775, serving until peace was declared. 
Elected first governor of the State in 1777, he still 
continued his military duties, leaving the army only 
when pressing civil affairs called him away from his 
command. 

He was retained as governor for 18 years, was presi- 
dent of the State convention which ratified the national 
constitution (which he opposed), was re-elected gov- 
ernor in 1801, and in 1804 became vice-president. 

DeWitt Clinton (see page 366), son of General 
James Clinton, served in the legislature from 1798 to 
1802. From 1803 to 1814 he was mayor of New York 
city. He was governor of the State from 1817 to 
1822 and again from 1824 to 1828, but will always be 
best known as " the father of the Erie canal ", which 
his faith and enterprise carried through, from concep- 
tion to completion. 

In these families were represented Holland, Ger- 
many, England and Scotland, a fair example of that 
union of races which in New York ^made a people 
strong, proud, enterprising, lovers of freedom, but 
always submissive to righteous law. 



CHAPTER LXI 




Karon Steubex, 1730-1794 



Distinguished Citizens 

Baron Steuben. — Among the titled soldiers of 
Europe who cast in their for- 
tunes with the young repub- 
lic, none will be held in more 
grateful remembrance than 
Frederick William Aua^ustus, 
Baron Steuben. Steuben had 
seen much service in Europe, 
and had been aide-de-camp 
to Frederick the Great of 
Prussia. He came to this 
country in 1T77, and was 
immediately attached to the staff of General Wash- 
ington as inspector-general of the army. In this 
position his abilities and his faithfulness to his chief 
soon made him of great service. 

At the close of the war, Steuben having determined 
to make America his future home, the State of 'Sew 
York granted him a quarter of a township (16,000 
acres) in the tract purchased of the Oneida Indians. 
Here he built for himself a log house, and here he 
spent the remainder of his days, dying Xovember 28, 
1794. Over his grave in the town of Steuben, Oneida 
county, a plain monument has since been erected. 
The national government gave him an annuity of 

$2,500 during his life. 

(506) 



Petek ('ooi'Kh, 507 

IlMvin^' Tio family, he h<;()iH;at.fiOfJ a, fjart of IiIh 
CHtatf; t,o two of hi.-; former fiifln, and divificl tiio 
rf!mHirKJ(!r umon^^ hiH tonjintH. 

Peter ('ooper wuh hoth an inventor and a pfiihAn- 
thropiHt. r>orn to sovereHt poverty, at ho von teen 
af)[)rentie(!d to a eoaf;h-maker, his nehooling wan h'm- 
ited to half-days of att(;ndane(; durin^^ ODit year. 

Thoij^'h HueeeHsfiil in almost every uridertakinj.' of 
[lis lif(;, lie evinced the warmest symf>athy for those 
who, like himself, had }>een fienied the advantages of 
early education. Ilf; invented a machine for shearing 
cloth which was in use for many years, and built the 
first loconiotive engine ever uhca\ in tliis country. Fie 
was extensively engaged in iron manufacture and in 
the f)rod action of glue. 

J lis greatest benefaction was the building and en- 
dowment of Cooper Institute in Xew York city. To* 
this lie gave nearly one million dollars, and in his will 
devoted it by a deed of trust to the working classes of 
New York. The courses are free and furnish instruc- 
tion in the a[)plied sciences. To the original plan 
there was arJfled, later, a school of design for women. 

Gerrit Smith (see i)age 411^) was horn in this State 
in 1707, and during his long life was constantly con- 
tributing of his large fortune to a variety of benevo- 
lent objects, lie was graduated from Hamilton college 
in the class of 1818 and subsequently studied law. He 
lectured much, often preached to his tenants, and 
served one term in congress. In his early life he be- 
came deeply impressed with the great wrong of human 
slavery, and contributed large sums to the American 



508 Gerrit Smith 

colonization society. Later, he became a convert to 
abolition principles, and thereafter gave as bountifully 
to the American abolition society. At his death his 
entire estate went to various benevolent institutions. 
His wealth was largely in real estate, of which he in- 
herited mere than 200,000 acres. A large part of this 
he gave to his tenants in small farms. 

Among these tenants, at one time,, was John Brown 
of Ossawatomie (see page 419), At the time of 
Brown's Harpers Ferry raid, he had received some 
assistance from Gerrit Smith, who was ignorant of the 
plan of operations finally adopted*. The loss of life 
which finally resulted so disturbed Mr. Smith, that 
for a time his reason was affected. 

His tastes were so simple, his manner so friendly, his 
life so upright, that when it was not safe, even in 
New York, for other men to give utterance to anti- 
slavery sentiments, Gerrit Smith spoke freely every- 
where, even in congress. It is difiicult, at this day, to 
appreciate the courage then required to champion that 
cause ; one incident will illustrate it. 

In October, 1835, Mr. Smith attended a meeting at 
Utica, N. Y., where it was proposed to organize an 
anti-slavery society. The meeting was broken up by a 
mob of "respectable citizens", and the office of a 
democratic newspaper that spoke a good word for the 
society was demolished f, whereupon Mr. Smith in- 
vited the delegates to his o<vn house at Peterboro, 

* Brown's first conception was that the slaves would 
leave their masters in large numbers, if they could be 
assured of a safe journey to Canada. 

f Greeley^s "American conflict". 



Martik Vais^ BuREi^ 509 

Madison county, and there the organization was com- 
pleted. 

Martin Van Buren. — Martin Van Buren (see page 
387) was in every sense a genuine Xew Yorker. 
Born at Kinderhook in 1782, he maintained his resi- 
dence there until the day of his death, July 24, 1862. 

It might truthfully be said that his life was spent in 
politics, for he became interested in public affairs 
when a mere boy, and while he lived never lost his 
keen interest in the great political game in which he 
had been a most expert player. 

His career is almost without a parallel. At 24 he 
was elected to his first office, — surrogate of his county. 
At 30 he was a State senator ; at 33 attorney-general of 
his State; at 39 a United States senator; at 46 gover- 
nor ;^at 47 vice-president; at 49 minister to England; 
and at 54 president of the United States, 

During many years he was the leader of the demo- 
cratic party of his State. His private life was above 
reproach, and by his kindly, almost courtly manners 
he easily won the good will of his neighbors as well 
as of his political associates. 

His ability to conciliate his opponents often created 
the impression that he was insincere, but the charge 
was hardly just. It was the natural outcome of the 
friendly spirit of the man. He received the flattery 
of his admirers and the fierce attacks of his political 
enemies with the same unfailing good humor. 

While he may have been ambitious for political 
preferment, and may have advanced his own interests 
by every honorable means, he was not devoid of prin- 
ciple. He thoroughly disbelieved in the United States 



510 MARTii^" Van Buren 

bank, and risked his own popularity and promotion in 
suj^port of President Jackson's measures against it. 

Believing with most northern democrats of his time 
that slavery was recognized by the constitution, he 
insisted that it should not be disturbed where it ex- 
isted; but, also believing it to be a wrong, he was un- 
alterably opposed to its further extension. 

Martin Van Buren has often been called " a north- 
ern man with southern principles ", because he was so 
slow to disturb existing conditions. But in justice to 
him it should be remembered that opposition to slavery 
was a matter of slow growth until the demands of the 
south for its extension and protection roused resistance 
at the north. When this time came, Mr. Van Buren 
refused to follow the "hunkers" in their surrender 
to the slave-power and cast in his lot with the barn- 
burners. This, in 1848, made him logically the first 
candidate of the free soil party for the presidency. 

It cannot be supposed that he expected to be elected, 
but he drew off enough votes to insure the defeat of 
Lewis Cass and his " hunker " following. 

When this campaign was over, he retired to his 
home, where, unembittered by defeat, he passed the 
remainder of his days in quiet and comfort. 

The student of Mr. Van Buren's character will find 
in it much to admire and emulate, but he can not fail 
to discover that the man was too careful of his own 
standing ever to venture far into the debatable ground 
of advanced thought or to be a successful leader in 
any great moral or political revolution. 

Silas Wright. — Among the men particularly promi- 
nent in Xew York during " Jacksonian times ", was 



Silas W-RiaHT 511 

Silas Wright (see page 403). He was born in Massa- 
chusetts in 1795, but came to New York when only a 
boy, and entered political life in 1 820. In this field 
his rise was rapid. He became State senator in 1823, 
member of congress in 1827, State comptroller in 
1829, United States senator in 1833, and governor 
in 1844. 

Mr. Wright's career proves that even in politics, a 
man may rise to prominence by sheer merit and by 
force of character, rather than by brilliancy of intellect. 

A man of retiring habits, and unassuming manners, 
of unimpeachable integrity, but of most decided con- 
victions, he seems rather to have impressed himself 
upon the people than to have sought their favors. 

His most conspicuous trait as a politician was his 
close scrutiny of public expenditures. He was in 
everything a rigid economist, and as such had early 
opposed Mr. Clinton's plans for internal improvements. 
Unlike most of his associates he opposed Jackson's 
bank schemes, voted for a protective tariff, opposed 
the extension of slavery, and voted against the admis- 
sion of Texas. 

For these failures to follow his party he incurred 
the hostility of its leaders. 

When President Polk offered him a seat in his cabi- 
net, as secretary of the treasury, he declined the honor 
because he was not in sympathy with the president's 
policy. 

He sympathized with the "anti-renters", favored 
the "commutation of rents" and the abolition of 
"fee-simple titles", but recommended the enforce- 
ment of the law against all agrarian outrages. 



512 Thurlow Weed 

At the close of his term of service as governor, Mr, 
Wright retired to private life, carrying with him the 
strong personal regard of all who were so fortunate as 
to he admitted to the circle of his acquaintance. 

Thurlow Weed, 1797-1882.— If there ever was a 
" self-made man", Mr. Weed (see page 384) was one. 
He was born in 1797 of humble parentage and passed 
his early life in obscurity. At an age when Martin 
Van Buren was making campaign speeches, young 
Weed was cabin boy on a North Kiver sloop. Later, 
he learned the printer's trade at Cats'kill, X. Y., and 
in 1812 was a volunteer private soldier in a New York 
regiment where he served until the peace of 1815. He 
was then alone in the world, without money or friends, 
but with some habits, acquired in the army, which did 
not favor his immediate advancement. Fortunately 
he soon secured work as a journeyman printer. In 
this position he developed a taste for reading and then 
a reputation as a writer. 

Eemoving to Rochester, he edited a small paper in 
the interest of Governor Clinton. Here his talents 
were recognized and in 1824 he was elected to the 
assembly from Monroe county. 

When the " Morgan affair" (see page 384) came 
out in the papers, he warmly espoused the cause of 
the anti-masons. 

In 1830 he founded the Albany Evening Journal in 
the interest of the anti-masonic party. The party 
never became more than a disturbing element in poli- 
tics, but the man and the paper remained factors in 
State and national affairs long after "anti-masonry" 
had ceased to be mentioned in politics. 



MiLLAED FiLLMOKE 513 

Few men have ever equalled Thurlow Weed in the 
power to write an editorial on almost any subject, 
especially any political subject, full of short, sharp, 
telling paragraphs that went straight to their mark. 

Never until Horace Greeley founded the New York 
Tribune did Mr. Weed find a " foeman worthy of his 
steel". The occasional '^open letters" which these 
two veterans addressed to each other in their respec- 
tive journals were enjoyed by men of all parties. 

In politics Mr. Weed was first a whig, and then, as 
the anti-slavery agitation came on, a republican; but 
he would not be bound by party ties, and no public 
man in any party failed to dread what Mr. Weed might 
say of his course if he went far afield from a straight 
path. After his early experience in the State legisla- 
ture, he would accept no office from either party, 
but his reputation for straightforward, fearless truth- 
fulness caused Mr. Lincoln to ask him, in 1861, to 
go on a private mission to Europe. He accepted this 
trust, but as soon as the duty was discharged returned 
to his place as a private citizen. 

Millard Fillmore (see page 410) was born in the 
town of Summer Hill, N. Y., Jan. 7, 1800. His early 
education was very limited. At fifteen he was a bound 
apprentice to the draper's trade. 

While thus engaged, he applied himself to reading 
and study with such profit that he attracted the atten- 
tion of a lawyer, who, seeing his industry and evident 
ability, took him into his office as a student. 

He was soon able, even while prosecuting his legal 
studies, to support himself by teaching. In his 
tvventy-first year he removed to Buffalo where he com- 



514 Millard Fillmore 

pleted his studies and was admitted to the bar, and 
there also he was in 1829 elected to the legislature. 

While in the assembly, the remembrance of his own 
early struggles led him to advocate the repeal of the 
law allowing imprisonment for debt, and to him the 
State is in large measure indebted for the removal of 
that ancient wrong from our statute books. 

In 1832 he was elected to congress as a whig, serv- 
ing two terms. 

In 1847 he became comptroller of the State and in 
1848 he was nominated for vice-president on the whig 
ticket with General Taylor. 

By the early death of President Taylor he succeeded 
to the presidency, July, 1850. Here he had an oppor- 
tunity to perform a great service for his country. In 
the next congress came up the odious " omnibus bill " 
and the "fugitive slave law". Mr. Fillmore could 
have withheld his signature, but he signed both bills, 
and the act took him to his political grave. In the 
course which he took, he had the support of Henry 





Henry Clay. 1777-1852 Daniel Webster. 1782-1852 

Clay and Daniel Webster; but his own State, while 



Horace Greeley 515 

never questioning the purity of his motives, repudi- 
ated the act. 

Mr. Fillmore lacked those stern qualities which make 
a man able to do an unpopular act because it is right. 

The author of a recent school history of the United 
States justifies Mr. Fillmore's act by quoting Mr. Lin- 
coln's declaration, made when a candidate for the presi- 
dency, that, if elected, he should feel bound to support 
the fugitive slave law. The enactment of an unwise 
or unjust law, and its enforcement while it remains on 
the statute books, are two very different matters. 
Laws must be enforced and a president by his oath of 
office binds himself to their enforcement because they 
are laws. General Grant was right when he said, "I 
know of no way to make an unwise law so odious as to 
enforce it." But the president is entrusted with the 
veto power solely that he may, on occasion, rebuke the 
impudence of party leaders. 

At the close of his term as president Mr. Fillmore 
visited Europe, and in 1856 accepted the nomination 
for the presidency from the " know-nothing " party, 
after which he resumed the practice of law in Buffalo. 

Horace Greeley. — Horace Greeley (see page 447), 
the veteran editor of the ISTew York Tribune, cam- 
paign speaker, essayist, author, and philosopher was 
personally known to more people than any other citi- 
zen of the State. 

His careless but always characteristic dress, his 
quaint figure, his benevolent countenance everywhere 
attracted notice and comment, while his many ad- 
dresses in almost or quite every county of the State 



516 Horace Greeley 

brought him before the people as no other man has 
ever been brought. He had hosts of admirers, and 
hosts of enemies, but all classes turned out to hear 
him speak. In his day, not to have heard Horace 
Greeley argued one's »elf a New Yorker unknown. 

Mr. Greeley was born of Scotch-Irish parents on a 
small, rocky Xew Hampshire farm, Feb. 5, 1811. As 
the third of seven children in a family where intense 
poverty seemed their only birth-right, his opportuni- 
ties for an education were of the most limited sort. 

When he was but 15 their little home was sold for 
debt, and the family removed to Vermont. Here he 
attained the one strong desire of his boyish heart — an 
opportunity to learn the printer's trade in the office 
of a small weekly paper. But even this boon was not 
long continued to him. 

Again the family moved; this time to Erie county, 
Pennsylvania. In that vicinity the lad worked for 
some years wherever he could find employment, mean- 
while reading everything that came within his reach. 

With a memory which retained almost perfectly 
whatever he read, he soon became known as the best- 
informed young man of every town in which he lived. 

When he was twenty years of age he determined to 
try his fortunes in New York city. With only ten 
dollars in his pocket he started to traverse the State 
on foot, reaching the city with money still on hand. 
There he worked in various offices. 

In 1833, in company with Francis Story, he started 
" The Morning Post ", the first penny paper ever pub- 
lished. This was soon changed to " The Xew Yorker ", 



Horace Greeley 517 

a paper which attracted much attention by its vigorous 
editorials, the work of Mr. Greeley. 

While doing this editorial work, Mr. Greeley was 
also constantly contributing to other papers, and he 
soon became widely known as one of the most ready 
and trenchant writers in the country. His omnivorous 
reading and his remarkable memory* for data of all 
sorts placed at his command a vast fund of available 
information. 

By this means he was ready wherever he happened 
to be to write on a wide range of subjects as fluently 
and as accurately as though he had a library of refer- 
ence at hand. 

In 1841 he founded " The Xew York Tribune ", 
through which he became still more widely known. 
His most prominent characteristic as a writer was his 
absolute fearlessness. He early espoused the anti- 
slavery cause, and no other paper did so much to edu- 
cate the masses to a genuine hatred of the slave power 
as did the Tribune. 

When the country came face to face with actual 
war, Mr. Greeley's kind heart relented, and he favored 
every effort, no matter how futile, for the preservation 
of peace. When the war actually began, he was im- 
patient of every delay and criticised Mr. Lincoln so 
unsparingly that at last the president said of him, 
*' Mr. Greeley is in favor of putting down the rebel- 
lion, but is opposed to all possible means of doing it.*' 

When the long contest closed, he favored complete 
amnesty and lost friends by offering himself as bonds- 
man for Jefferson Davis. 



5L8 Samuel Jones Tilden 

The worst enemy the democratic party ever had, he 
was endorsed by them when in 1872 he had been nom- 
inated for the presidency by the liberal republicans, 
in opposition to General Grant. He was defeated, of 
course, and never recovered from the disappointment. 

Exhausted by the long canvas, and by the care of a 
sick wife to whom he was a most devoted husband, he 
died soon after the election, ^ov. 29, 1872. 

Mr. Greeley's best known writings are his " History 
of the Struggle for the Extension of Slavery", " The 
American Conflict", " Eecollections of a Busy Life", 
and " What I know about Earming ". 

Samuel J. Tildeii (see page 449) was born at Xew 
Lebanon, X. Y., in 1814. He early became a disciple 
of Martin Van Buren whose political career he greatly 
admired and whose fortunes he followed. He studied 
law with Benjamin F. Butler of New York (see page 
409), and early became prominent in his profession, par- 
ticularly as a corporation attorney. In this practice he 
soon acquired a fortune, and his residence at Gramercy 
Park became the resort of aspiring politicians who 
sought his advice . 

From this fact he became known as '* the Sage of 
Gramercy Park ". 

In his political forecasts he had the shrewdness of 
Van Buren. In his legislative career he was a follower 
of Silas Wright, a veritable "watch dog" over public 
expenditures — a cautious and able financier. 

He had not the graceful manners which attracted to 
Mr. Seymour so large a circle of friends even from 
among his political opponents; but he possessed a 
faculty for organization that made the democratic party 



Samuel Jones Tildek 519 

of his day a solid, compact body, such as no other 
leader has been able to rival. He was not a general 
who could rally and lead men; he was a field marshal 
who could plan a campaign and select the leaders who 
could carry it through to success. 

Two events gave him national prominence: the 
Tweed trials, and his contest with Mr. Hayes for the 
presidency. For the first, he has probably received 
more credit than was his due, for he did not enter the 
case until the Xew York Times had published the 
whole afi^air, and a public meeting of citizens had 
resolved to prosecute the " ring ". Even the Times 
did nothing until a clerk in the comptroller's office 
had exposed the frauds, and there was good '* copy " 
in sight. 

The steps by which Mr. Tilden reached the presi- 
dential nomination were these: He had been a member 
of two constitutional conventions, those of 1846 and 
1867, in which the accuracy of his legal knowledge had 
made him prominent, while in the State legislature in 
1846 and 1872 he had rendered his party invaluable 
service. These made him the leader of the democracy 
of his State and only his services in the Tweed and 
" canal ring " cases were needed to bring him before the 
country and make him the logical candidate of his 
party for the presidency in 1876. 

The result of this election was dangerously close. 
Several of th,e southern States were in a political con- 
dition that invited fraud, and each party accused the 
other of practising it. There is reason to fear that 
both charges were true. Certainly the colored popu- 
lation were disfranchised in many districts. 



520 



James Kext 



The accepted returns gave Mr. Tilden 4,284,885 
votes, and Mr. Hayes 4,033,950. The contest was not 
decided until two days before the inauguration, when 
the commission appointed by congress decided that 
Mr. Hayes had received 185 electoral votes and Mr. 
Tilden 184. 

The decision was never satisfactory to Mr. Tilden, 
nor to his party, but it seemed the only possible solu- 
tion and the country, generally, accepted it. Mr. Til- 
den was never afterward a candidate for any office. 
He was suggested for the presidency in 1880, but de- 
clined to be a candidate. His death in 1886 revived 
the story of this historic contest, and exceptional 
honors were paid to his memory. 

In his will he left large bequests to libraries and 
other institutions in which his name will be honored. 

James Kent^ whose "Commentaries" are among 
the most famous of legal 
books, was like his father 
and his grandfather a gradu- 
ate of Yale, and was one of 
the founders of the Phi Beta 
Kappa society. He entered 
the law-office of Egbert Ben- 
son, and soon rose to emi- 
nence in the profession. He 
was professor of law in Co- 
lumbia college, when in 1798 
he was appointed justice of the supreme court, and 
was from 1804 to 1814 chief justice, and from 1814 to 
1823 chancellor. He then returned to Columbia, and 




James Kent, 1763-184'; 



Eeuben" Hyde Walworth 521 

published his " Commentaries on American Law from 
1826 to 1830, since then a recognized authority. 
Reuben Hyde Walworth^ last chancellor of the 
State, and called by Joseph 
Story the greatest equity jur- 
ist living, was the son of a rev- 
olutionary officer and himself 
a colonel in the war of 1812. 
He was in congress from 1821 
to 1823, judge of the fourth 
district 1823 to 1828, and 
became chancellor in 1828 
until the abolition of the 

Reuben Hyde Walworth, 

1788-1876 court in 1848. Like Ben- 

tham in England, he simplified and reformed the laws 
of equity, and his manuscript volumes of decisions 
were the basis of many of the standard reports. 




CHAPTER LXII 

New York ix Literature 

Before the revolution. — Time was, when men 
said, " Who reads an American book ? " The question 
is no longer asked. The whole world reads American 
books, for they are translated into every known 
tongue. Xew York does not claim primacy in litera- 
ture, even in American literature, but she has had 
writers in every period of her history who have made 
lasting contributions to the world's literature. 

William Bradford, the first printer in Xew York 
(see pages 132, 152), came to 
Xew York city in 1693, and 
the first thing printed was a 
small folio volume of the 
laws of the colony. He is- 
sued the first newspaper Oct. 
16, 1775, the Xew York Ga- 
zette, a weekly journal print- 
ed on a small half foolscap 
sheet. Zenger's newspaper, 
WILLIAM BRAi,roRB, 1663-1752 ^^^ ^^^ york Joumal, ap- 
peared on Xov. 5, 1733, and attacked the government, 
which Bradford, as government printer, supported. 
Hence the famous libel suit. See page 152. 

Colonial period. — In the Dutch colonial period. 
Dominie Megapolensis, A^an der Donck, and De Yries 
wrote accounts of American affairs which were pub- 
lished and read, but of which copies are now very rare. 
In the English colonial period, Governor Cadwallader 
Golden (see page 194) wrote much, and his " Letters 
and Memoirs" are' the source of our most accurate 
knowledge of his times. He wrote of men and things 

(522) 




Before the REVOLUTioiq^ 



523 



as he knew them during his long residence in ±sew 
York. His estimate of the men of his time is 
usually just, though his views are sometimes colored 
by his loyalty to England. 

Sir William Johnson (see page 174) at about the 
same time contributed a valuable account of the man- 
ners and customs of the Iroquois Indians, whom he 
knew as no other white man had ever known them. 

In 1757 William Smith published his "History of 
the Province of New York ", a book that is still much 
consulted. 

William Livingston (1723-1790) a graduate of Yale 
college, was a prolific writer and the author of at least 
one poem that has survived the century and a half 
since its publication. It was entitled " Philosophic 
Solitude", and is in the style of Dryden. 

Revolutionary period. — Lindley Murray (1745- 
1826) published his English 
Grammar in 1795. It marked 
an epoch in the study of the 
English language. 

The occasion begets the 

man, and the revolutionary 

period brought out many 

writers worthy of mention. 

Philip Freneau (1752-1832) 

was of Huguenot parentage. 

His writings were generally 

controversial, and on political subjects, but he was also 

the author of many of the popular ballads of his time. 

One poem, " The Wild Honeysuckle ", is still quoted: 

" Fair flower that doest so comely grow 

Hid in this silent dull retreat." 




Lindley Murray, 1745 



524 



New York in^ Literature 



Washington Irving 




William Dunlap (L766-1839) was the son of an Irish 
soldier, who came to this country with General Wolfe. 
He wrote comedies, and, best known of all, a " His- 
tory of Xew York ", a most excellent book, still found 
in many libraries. 

was the first author to make 
American literature known 
to the world. His literary 
work began while he was 
assisting his brother Peter to 
publish the "Morning 
Chronicle ". His Knicker- 
bocker's History of New 
York was the first work that 
attracted general attention. 
His later writings have been 
widely read and deservedly 
praised. They are distinctively American, and deal 
so largely in Xew York traditions as to give them a 
strong local coloring. They may properly be called 
the first American classics. 

James Fenimore Cooper also found his themes largely 
in local traditions. His 
" Spy " was, until the recent 
publication of " Hugh 
Wynne ", the best tale of the 
revolution. It is full of the 
spirit of those stirring times, 
and its hero, Harvey Burch, 
had a real counterpart in 
Elijah Hunter, a New York 
jamesFenimorkCooper, 1789-1852 soldier, who for more than 



Washington Irving. 1783-1859 




Irvikg, Cooper, the Carey Sisters, Halleck 525 



four years served Washington in the character of a spy. 
William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878, see page 394) 
York's most distinguished poet, " The Wordsworth of 
America", began his career in Massachusetts, as did 
the Carey sisters in Ohio, but all three early removed 
to New York and here found their inspiration and 
poured out their songs. Here, too, Lydia Maria Child 
found a larger field for her talents as essayist and cor- 
respondent. 





Alice Carey, 1820-1871 



Fitz-Greene Halleck, 1790-1867 



Joseph Eodman Drake (1795-1820) and Fitz-Greene 
Halleck were the " Castor and PoUox " of American 
literature. At twenty-two Drake wrote " The Culprit 
Fay ", a poem full of pictures in the Highlands of the 
Hudson. The strong friendship between these two 
men is touchingly portrayed in Halleck's poem, written 
soon after the early death of Drake, in which occur 
these perfect lines: 

" Green be the turf above thee, 

Friend of my better days — 

None knew thee but to love thee, 

None named thee but to praise." ^ 



526 



Xew York iin" Literature 



John R. Brodhead (1814-1873), born in Albany, 
was the great-grandson of an English captain who 
came to this country in the expedition against N^ew 
Xetherland in 1664. He wrote the best history of 
Colonial Xew York that has ever been produced. He 
searched the libraries of all Europe for his material 
and discovered several valuable manuscripts, the exist- 
ence of which had been hitherto unknown. Those 
who since his time have written of those events have 
found him the highest authority. His history, in two 
volumes, coming down to 1691, is a monument alike to 
his talents and to his patient industry. 

On two accounts, at least, Walt Whitman, will always 

deserve mention in any ac- 
count of American writers : 
he served as a volunteer 
nurse in the hospitals 
about Washington during 
almost the entire period of 
the war, and he wrote " My 
Captain " in which he 
voiced the dispairing grief 
^ ' of the nation over the 

Walt Whitman, 1819-1892 death of President Lincolu 
as no other writer has ever been able to do. 

The New York movement. — Birds have their 
songs and their time for singing, but they build their 
nests and sing their sweetest notes where food is abun- 
dant. They migrate and take their songs with them. 
The poet may try his voice in solitude, but once assured 
of an audience, he dearly lo^es the associations of 
kindred spirits, and comfortable surroundings. 




Group of New York City Authors 527 





Edgar Allan Poe, 1809-1849 



Bayard Taylor. 1825-1878 





Richard Henry Stoddard, 1825 — Edmund Clarexce Stedman, 1833- 





Nathaniel Parker Willis. 1806-1877 William Uean Huwells. 1837- 



528 Xew York ii^ Literature 

New York city, as the centre of wealth has gradually 
attracted to itself the literary talent of the other 
States. 

About the middle of this century a most remarkable 
literary migration took place. To Xew York came 
Edgar Allan Poe, Bayard Taylor, Eichard Henry 
Stoddard, Edmund Clarence Stedman, Thomas Bailey 
Aldrich, George Henry Boker, Thomas Buchanan 
Read, Richard Watson Gilder, and Edgar Faucett. 
Later came William Dean Howells. 

Besides these the State has always abounded in 
writers whose contributions to the press have had wide 
recognition and have exerted an influence in the culti- 
vation of taste and the formation of public opinion. 
Among such may be counted George P. Morris, Na- 
thaniel P. Willis, Mordecai Xoah, Horace Greeley, 
James Gordon Bennett, James Watson Webb, Henry J. 
Raymond, James and Erastus Brooks, Richard Henry 
Dana, senior and junior, and many others. 



CHAPTEE LXIII 

The New York of 1900 

The Empire State. — While in size New York 
now ranks as the 23d State, in population, in wealth, 
in manufactures, and in comruerce, she ranks first. 
Nowhere else in the history of the world has such a 
population been gathered, in the same time, on 49,- 
000 square miles of territory, and nowhere else has 
any people developed an industry so varied, yet with 
no one branch dominant. 

Whatever civilization needs \ew York will produce. 
Her farms are rarely devoted to the production of one 
staple. In her factories is spun the finest silk, and in 
her foundries is produced the most ponderous 
machinery. 

To her history all nations have contributed. Its 
roots struck deep in the soil of early European immi- 
gration, and its branches have been spread to every 
wind under heaven. 

Her peaceful farms only place in more vivid contrast 
the din of her great cities, and all her quiet fields de- 
scend to valleys through which may be seen the black 
trail of the locomotive bearing east and west the pro- 
ducts of her industry. 

The New Yorker toils, but he enjoys life. He loves 
to accummulate wealth, but he also loves to distribute 
it. He reaps the harvests of the world, and founds 

(529) 



530 The Xew York of 1900 

an asylum for the unfortunate with the fruit of his 
labors. At evening, the merchant prince rushes from 
his place of business that he may have an hour of day- 
light with his family or among the roses in his garden; 
while in a thousand shaded parks, provided at public 
expense, the mechanic and his family make holiday 
when work is done. 

An hour in any public library (and almost every vil- 
lage has one) will show a locomotive engineer or brake- 
man looking up a problem in mechanics or a factory 
hand deep in a question of economics; while every 
high-school or college commencement finds the sons of 
the day laborer and of the millionaire side by side. 
From the farm and the forge boys pass to the pulpit 
or to congress. In politics New Yorkers recognize the 
power of a boss, but the number of independent voters 
is so great that when any important issue is involved 
they can change the complexion of a national admin- 
istration. 

In religion, New York is catholic in the highest de- 
gree. From Van Twiller to Roosevelt, she would never 
endure a fettered conscience. 

Any denomination may teach and preach and convert 
and build churches. It will be free, and all its prop- 
erty will be exempt from taxation; but on the public 
schools it must not lay its hand, and to its support 
must not go one dollar of the State's money. 

In church and state New York has known many 
leaders; but no teacher, preacher, or statesman was 
ever so great that his doctrines went unchallenged. 

An intelligent foreigner coming to our shores for the 
first time, if asked to give his impressions of New 



The Xew York of L900 531 

York, would surely name, as among its most pleasing 
natural features, our magnificent bay, land-locked, 
large enough to contain the navies of the world; the 
" lordly Hudson " with its reflected mountains, the 
charm of its hundred lakes and rivers, its wide valleys 
and graceful, rolling table-lands, its delightful pan- 
oramas of forest and field, of farm and hamlet and 
town, which with every hour of travel greet the vision. 
From the salt marshes of the Atlantic coast to the 
gorge of i^iagara there is variety, everywhere. 

Were he asked what of man's work pleased him most 
he would point to the shipping at the wharves, the arch 
that joins the twin cities of the metropolis, the ele- 
vated railroads traversing streets of air, the subter- 
ranean rivers that bring the waters of a county to 
supply the needs of a city, the palatial steamers that 
crowd all the channels of communication, the railroads 
over which millions of passengers are annually carried 
in comfort and safety, the cities that have sprung up 
along the whole course of these, the comforts in the 
homes of the workingmen, the churches, schools, hos- 
pitals and asylums, where wealth finds its appropriate 
sphere and philanthropy its chosen field of labor. 

Were he asked to state what in the institutions of 
New York seemed most worthy of commendation, he 
would surely mention the public school system, which 
places a college preparatory education within the reach 
of every child, rich or poor; the complete separation 
of church and state; the absolute equality of every 
man before the law, and the right to be defended by 
competent counsel though he have not a dollar in the 
world; an elective judiciary; a secret ballot. 



532 The New York of 1900 

The student who loves to trace to their sources the 
many tributary streams of historic sequence will per- 
ceive that the institutions of New York have to a very 
great degree been determined by the character of 
those who first settled the State. 

To Holland we owe much. From her came the free 
school, the open church and religious toleration. To 
her we are indebted for the equal right of every citi- 
zen to share in the government and of every child to 
the same portion of the father's estate. From Hol- 
land came those ideas of the dignity of labor which 
have made it possible for the son of the poorest man 
to aspire to the highest position in the State. 

From the early English settlers came a courage that 
has rendered the greatest enterprises always possible ; 
a steadfast honesty that has made action to attend on 
duty; a love of exertion that has made competition an 
inspiration; a generosity that has made the unfortun- 
ate of every class the first care of the State. 

To the steady stream of immigration from every 
old-world country New York has been indebted for an 
army of laborers who have built her railroads, digged 
her canals, constructed her State and municipal build- 
ings and made possible her rapid sanitary improve- 
ments; whose children, taken into the public schools 
and taught the English language, American history 
and literature, have become her defenders, often her 
political leaders, and always the staunch lovers and 
supporters of her institutions. To this cosmopolitan 
character of her population is due that even balance 
between political parties, which has so often driven 



The New York of 1900 533 

one from power and entrusted the government to the 
other. 

The highest possibilities are always attended by the 
greatest dangers, the love of achievement has always 
been shadowed by the greed of gain; but he who in 
the history of our State has failed to discover a 
steady growth toward higher ideals, a purer faith, a 
broader charity, a deeper, stronger love for our peculiar 
institutions, has not read aright the lessons of the 
past. He who does not see opening before us as a 
people wide vistas of future patriotic labors, has re- 
ceived no inspiration from the lives of those heroes and 
sages who guided the early fortunes of the Empire 
State. 

Conclusion. — For the present our historical studies 
must necessarily close with the year 1900. 

The true student of history feels that he is a part 
of all the past, as all that has gone before has minis- 
tered to what now is. But these studies will be barren 
of results if they fail to give us a keener interest in 
the events of to-day as the basis of that which is to be. 

It has often been said that the past fifty years have 
been the most remarkable in the history of the world. 
This is possibly true, but all signs point to a develop- 
ment quite as remarkable in that period upon which 
we are just entering. 

No real student can have failed to observe how im- 
portant, thus far, in shaping the history of our country 
has been the share of our own State. It is probable 
that its influence will not be less in the years to come. 
In the grave questions concerning territorial expansion 
now pressing for solution, the voice of New York will 



534 The New York of 1900 

command attention. If the great isthmian canal is 
built, Xew York enterprise and Xew York capital will 
predominate in it. 

At home there were never before so many matters 
being brought forward for legisJative action. What 
may be called " paternal legislation " is in the ascend- 
ant. Compulsory attendance on school, the nature 
and extent of the studies to be pursued there; the 
guardianship of public morals by curfew ordinances 
and prohibitory legislation; the rights of workingmen 
expressed in laws regulating hours of labor and time 
of payment of wages; efforts toward the reformation 
of the criminal classes and the guardianship of the 
unfortunate by all sorts of eleemosinary institutions; 
restrictions upon the public press in the direction of 
individual rights and public morals ; demands for State 
aid toward all sorts of public improvements; the 
rights of municipal governments and their separation 
from general legislation ; enforcement of sanitary pro- 
visions; the guardianship of fish and game in the 
interest of sportsmen; the preservation of forests; 
the establishment and care of public parks; the 
disposal of city sewage; the contamination of the 
water in our creeks, rivers, and lakes; the protec- 
tion of public health; the military equipment of the 
State; all these and many more questions will be 
brought up for settlement. This is an age of law- 
making, but laws do not always reform abuses. Some- 
times they fail of enforcement and proper reverence 
for law is lost. 

In all these matters an intelligent study of history 
will furnish instructive examples, and often safe 
guidance. 



CHAPTER LXIV 

Counties of New York 

In 1683 the general assembly of the province erected 
the following ten counties: 

1. New York (named from the duke's own title), 
included Manhattan, Banning's, and the Baen Islands. 

2. Westchester (from Chester in England), all the 
land east of Manhattan as far as the "government 
extends" and northward along the Hudson to the 
Highlands. 

3. Dutchess (from the duke's wife) extended from 
Westchester to Albany and " eastward into the woods, 
twenty miles ". 

4. Orange (from the Prince of Orange) extended 
from the New Jersey boundary north to Ulster and 
" westward into the woods as far as Delaware river". 

5. Albany (from the Scotch title) included all the 
territory on the east side of the Hudson " from Roelef 
Jansen's creek and on the west side from Saugerties to 
Saraaghtoga ". 

6. Ulster (from the duke's Irish earldom) included 
all the towns on the west side of the Hudson from the 
Highlands to Saugerties. 

7. Richmond (from the Duke of Richmond) con- 
tained all Staten Island 

8. Kings (in honor of King James) included Brook- 
lyn, Bedford, Bushwick, Flatbush, New Utrecht, and 
Gravesend. 

(535) 



536 Counties of ^ew York 

9. Queens (in honor of King James's wife) contained 
Xewtown, Jamaica, Flushing, Hempstead, and Oyster 
Bay. 

10. Sulfolk (from an English county) included the 
remainder of Long Island. 

In the succeeding years the following counties were 
organized : 
11-12. Montgomery, Washington 1772 

13. Columbia 1786 

14. Clinton 1788 

15. Ontario 1789 

16-20. Herkimer, Tioga, Otsego, Rensselaer, Sar- 
atoga.. 1791 

21. Onondaga , 1794 

22. Schoharie 1795 

23. Steuben 1796 

24. Delaware 1797 

25-27. Chenango, Oneida, Rockland 1798 

28-29. Cayuga, Essex 1799 

30. Greene 1800 

31-32. Genesee, St. Lawrence 1802 

33. Seneca 1804 

34-35. Jefferson, Lewis 1805 

36-39. Allegany, Broome, Franklin, Madison 1806 

40-43. Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Cortland, 

Xiagara 1808 

44-45. Schenectady, Sullivan 1809 

46. Putnam 1812 

47. AYarren 1813 

48-49. Hamilton, Oswego 1816 

50. Tompkins 1817 

51-53. Erie, Livingston, Monroe 1821 



Counties of New York 537 

54-55. Wayne, Yates 1823 

56. Orleans 1824 

57. Chemung 1836 

58. Fulton 1838 

59. Wyoming., 1841 

60. Schuyler 1854 

61. Nassau 1898 



NDEX 



I'ortrjiits !irc iiuliontt'd by !i star; (luolalioiis t'roiii, hy q. 

I'AOK rA(J15 

Abcrcroiiihic. .hum's 181*, IH'J Aiiistcrdiuii I'oinpiuiy clialtTcd... 'M 

abolition of slavery.. 250, 41«, 417, 4:U) (Korl) 45 

abori!j;iiies of Now York 17 Anabaptist <.»:? 

Ai-adia ns 170 A iulr<5, M a jor .loiin 2'.»1 • 

Adams, Cliarl.'s Francis 4(K) and Arnold 294, 504 

.John 242, 822, 381* and Nathan Male 21)4 

and .IcfTorson 329 caplmf of 292* 

.lolin Qui ncy 385* A ndros. Sir iMlinuntl 

Adirondack iiark 459 II 1«. 117, 122, 124, W,l 

Aix la Chupt'llc, treaty of 158 inii.risoncd, 1H89 124 

Albany 39,42,43.101, 111. 132. Annai>olis convenl ion, 178fi 317 

137, 108, 182, 307, 3C.'.I, ISSt. 503 Anne, Qn<M'n 139*, 155 

eont,'rt>ss, 1754 172 Antliony, A Hard 104 

county 535 Aii(4iony"s Nose 252, 273 

Evcnintr Journal 394. 512 anti-f(Hl(>ra,lists 318, 327, 330, 380 

Herald 394 anti-rent troubles. . .401, 105. lOti, 511 

normal colle-^'e 499 anti-slavery s(Mitinient,.389, .398, 111 

ret^ency 380 appointive olUcers 2.58 

threatened 127 ai)propria,tions 485 

Alden, Colonel 281 Arbor day 4fi4 

Aldrieli, Thomas H.-iiley .528 aristocrats 126 

Alexander, William 23.5* Arki)orl 282 

Alwonquins 22 Armstrong;, Major .lolin.... 300* 

Allen. Ethan 226, 310 Arnold, Ben<>dict.. .226, 2.50, 267, 289* 

allodial lands 405 and Andre 294 

Alsop, .lohn 216 n>!ieve<l of command 271 

anialfjamation of races treason of 289,296 

189, 222, .529, .532 valor of 273 

American fla^ first lioisted 268 armies disbanded 440 

ships 2.52, 304 Arthur, Chester A 45.5*, 456 

sim idicity 307 assembly .5.58 

Amherst, Lord .Tf'ffrey 184*, 185 dissolved 472 

Amsterdam 489 meetinf,^ 1772 210 

. chamber of deputies ;.471 members of 338,405 

(539) 



540 Prentice' s History of New York State 



PAGE 

attendance oflScers 475 

Atwood, William 138 

Axel, Count Oxernstiern 62 

Backerus, Dominie 78 

Baeu island 535 

ballot, secret 531 

Baltimore 361 

convention 408 

Bancroft, George P 426 

bank, first State 333 

of New York 333 

Banning's island 535 

barn-burners 402, 408 

Barnard, George C 447 

Barre, Isaac 202 

Bascom, Ansel 406 

battle flags collected 463 

Baum , Colonel 270 

Bayard, Nicholas Ill, 125. 134 

Bedford 535 

Bedloe's island 462 

Beeckman, Gerardus 147 

Bellomont. Earl of 133,206 

bell-ringer of Dutch New York. . 92 
Bemis Heights, battle of .269, 271, 289 

Bennett, James Gordon 394, 528 

Bennington, battle of 270 

Benson, Egbert 257*, 318. 321 

Bentham, Jeremy 521 

Berkeley, Lord 105, 114 

Black, Frank S 477, 478* 

Friday 446 

river canal 373 

Rock 354 

Blaine, James G 461* 

blanket ballot 476 

Bleeuw, Francois C 85 

Blennerhasset affair 341 

blizzard of 1888 464 

Block, Adrian 35, 36 

island 36 

houses 189 

Bloomer, Mrs. Amelia 406 

boards of education 499 

Bogardus, Dominie 56, 72 



PAGE 

Boker, George Henry 528 

Book of Mormon 376 

Bouck, William C 401* 

boundary disputes... 80, 106, 151, 309 

Boutwell, George B 446 

Bowling Green meeting, 1795 329 

boycott recorded 213 

Braddock, General 174, 178 

Bradford, Governor William 48* 

William (printer). .132, 152, 522* 

Bradstreet. Colonel 181, 182 

Brandy wine, battle of 276 

Brant, Joseph 175», 287, 288 

Breda, peace of 108, 109 

Breton, Ca pe 181 

Bressani, Joseph 162 

bribery at elections 449, 450 

bricks from Holland 90 

British army in New York 239 

prisons 252 

property, seizure of 220 

sailor always a British sailor.351 

squadron in New York City. 234 

Brockholls, Anthony 1 16 

Brodhead, John R., history... 489.526 

Brooklyn 43, 46, 489, 535 

bridge 459, 487 

in 1760 191 

Brooks, Erastus 528 

James 528 

Broome, John 349 

county 311 

Brown, Colonel 288 

General Jacob. 353*. 355, 356. 357 

John 312, 419*, 508 

Browne, John 256 

Bruce, John W 465 

Bryant, William Cullen. 394*, 426, 525 

Buchanan, James 417* 

bucktails 381 

Buffalo 307, 353, 363 

convention, 1848 409 

building and loan associations.. 463 

Bunker Hill 251 

burgher government 77. 79 

burghers 82 



Index 



541 



PAGE 

burgomaster 82 

Burgoyne, Gen. John 260, 264* 

advance of 269 

surrender of 274 

Burke, Edmund 202* 

Burnett, Governor William 149* 

Burr, Aaron 229, 244, 

326. 329, 333, 338, 339, 330, 342* 
a fugitive 341 

— tried for treason 341 

Burr-Hamilton tragedy 340 

Burton, Mary 154 

Bush wick 535 

Bute, Earl of 195, 198* 

Butler, Benjamin Franklin.. 409, 519 

Walter N 281, 282 

Butler's Rangers 263 

Cabot, John 28 

Sebastian 29* 

Campbell. Captain Laughlin 154 

Canada, invasions of 1812 

353,354,356,397 

by Fenians, 1866 443 

Canajoharie 287 

canal debt 405 

enlargement 486 

canals 450 

lateral 372 

made free 456 

map of 368 

Canandaigua 384 

Canisteo 282 

captain-general 469 

Carleton. Sir Guy 251«, 289, 299 

Carpenter, Daniel 433 

Carteret, George 105, 114 

Cart ier, Jacques 31 

Gary, Alice 525* 

— Phoebe 525 

Casimir (Fort) 81 

Cass, Lewis 510 

Catherine's Town 286 

Catholicism 123, 131 

Cayuga and Seneca canal 372 

centennial of Washington's in- 
auguration 464 



PAGE 

year 451 

Chambly (Fort) 169, 229 

Cham plain, Samuel de 31* 

and Hudson 34 

explorations of 161 

canal 372 

Fort 229 

Lake 32, 226, 

250, 262, 289, 310, 352, 359, 363 

battle of 357 

map of 34 

chancellor of New York 521 

of regents 492 

Charles II.. .86*, 97, 109, 112, 114, 124 
charter of liberties 118, 122, 471 

revoked 120 

of privileges 51 

Chatham, Earl of 

..149, 180*, 184, 195, 202, 275, 279 

statue of 203 

Chauncey, Commodore . .354 

Chaumonout, Joseph 163 

Chemung canal 373, 454 

river 282 

Chenango canal 373, 454 

river 311 

Cherry Valley massacre 281 

Chicago exposition 466 

Child, Lydia Maria 525 

Chippewa, battle of 357 

Choate, Joseph H 468 

christian commission 429 

Christiansen, Hendrick 35, 36 

Christina (Fort) 62, 81 

Chrysler's Farm 356 

Cincinnati, society of 302 

cities classified 488 

Citizen, the 340 

civil damage act 454 

- — rights bill 448 

service laws 458, 462 

— - war 422-441 

cost of to New York 

430, 440, 442 

Clark, Governor George 153 

Myron H 414*, 449 

classes of society 307 



542 Prentice's History of New York State 



PAGE 

Clay, Henry 390*, 403, 452, 514* 

Cleopatra's needle 456 

Clermont, first steamboat 346 

Cleveland, Grover,.457*, 458, 463, 465 

Clinton family 339, 340, 504 

Charles 504 

DeWitt 338, 505 

and Aaron Burr 339 

and the Erie canal. 370, 371, 372 

and the free school society. 493 

and Silas Wright 511 

- and Thurlow Weed 512 

canal commissiouer 381 

death of 386 

governor 366*, 377, 380, 382 

lieutenant-governor 349 

mayor of N. Y. city. . . .349, 361 

United States senator 349 

George 219, 492, 504 

and James 272 

general 272 

death 365 

governor. .260*, 280, 314, 326, 339 

opposes U. S. constitution 

317,319 

vice-president 345, 348 

Governor Sir George 156 

James 272*, 504, 505 

Sir Henry 234, 244, 272*, 

274, 280, 284, 290, 295, 297, 299 

(Fort) 246,272. 277 

Clinton's ditch 372 

Clintonians 380 

code of public instruction 496 

Golden, Cadwallader 192 

an an author 522 

death of 248 

governor 

..194*, 196, 198, 200, 206, 209, 221 

q 112, 207,218 

salary 209 

Cadwallader D 366 

college recruits ...426 

colleges 363 

Colles. Christopher 324* 

colonial congress, 1690 127 



PAGE 

colonial house of assembly 503 

color discrimination 

258, 379, 382, 416, 448, 449 

colored children in public 

schools 486 

Columbia university 

159, 192, 216, 222, 491 , 492 

Columbian order 349 

Columbus 28-29 

day 466 

Colve, Governor Anthony 111, 117 

commmander-in-chief. 469 

committee of corresijondeuce. 

1765 199 

of fifty-one 218, 473 

of one hundred 218,220,221 

of safety 126, 428 

of sixty 218, 220, 473 

common law of England 407 

school fund 494 

schools established 492 

compulsory education, 1894.. 475, 534 

for Indian children 486 

confederation 309 

articles of 316 

conflicting territorial claims 40 

congress 316 

bankrupt 301 

continental 215, 322 

delegates to, 1775 216 

powers of 318 

the first 322 

Conkling, Roscoe..452*, 453, 455. 456 
Conkling-Platt resignation.. 455, 457 

Connecticut boundary 80, 106, 151 

conservatives 201 

constitution. State.. 255, 256, 257, 473 

convention of 1777 2-55 

revision of 1801 338 

of 1821 378 

of 1846 404 

of 1867 443 

of 1876 4.53 

of 1894 468 

revisions made periodical.. .379 

U. S., adoption of 314 



Index 



543 



PAGE 

constitution, objections to 317 

Constitution (Fort) 246 

convention of delegates 471 

of representatives 473 

Cooper, Dr. Myles 214, 222* 

Institute 507 

James Fenimore 524* 

Peter 507 

Coote, Richard 133 

copperheads 427 

Corlear 116 

Cornbury, Governor 

141, 142*, 143, 144,490 

Cornelissen, Jan 489 

Cornell, Alonzo B 454*, 456 

Cornplanter 288 

coronation of William and Mary. 124 
Cornwallis, Marquis de.244, 297, 298* 

surrender of 297 

corporations, creation of 405 

corrupt practice law 465 

Cosby, Governor William 151 

cosmopolitan elements 96 

council appointive 469 

of appointment 

258, 338, 349, 379, 469, 495 

of Governor Minuit 45,54 

of Plymouth 65 

of revision 258, 379 

of safety, 1777 259 

of twelve, 66, 68 

counties of New York 119, 535 

map of in 1775 226 

counting the cost of war 

304,430, 440,442 

county superintendents 496 

court of appeals established 405 

of chancery 405 

of errors abolished 405 

Cromwell, Oliver 85* 

Crooked lake canal 373 

Crosswell, Edwin 380 

Croton aqueduct 396 

Crown Point 171, 175, 246, 309 

expedition against 174, 184 

expeditions from 157, 176 



PAGE 

Crown Point in American hands. 251 

in English hands . . . 185, 251, 262 

i u French hands 156, 185 

map of 226 

cruelty to children 450 

Cruger, John 197 

Stephen Van Rensselaer 441 

crystal palace exhibition of 1853.413 
Curtis, George William 453* 

Dablou, Claud 163 

D'Aillebourst, Governor 164 

Dana, Richard Henry 528 

Davis, Jefferson 517 

Day, Benjamin H 394 

Dayton, Colonel Elias 190 

Dearborn, General Henry. 352,353, 354 

debts of the United States 301 

Decatur, Stephen 360» 

declaration of independence 

153, 195,196,204,217,237 

defence of New York 240 

DeFleury, Colonel 285 

De La Barre, Governor 166 

DeLancey, James 

152, 158, 173, 179, 192, 194 

death of 194 

Delaware 43 

and Hudson canal 373 

Dellius, Dominie 133, 134 

democratic free silver party 477 

party 126, 336, 338, 380, 477 

quarrels of 1801 349 

Demout, Adjutant William 249 

denominational institutions 468 

De Nonville 167 

department of public instruction. 499 
dependency of the British crown. 420 

Depew, Chauncey M 483 

De Peyster, Abraham 138 

Derhulst, William 44 

Dermer , Captain Thomas 40 

De Ruyter 107 

De Vries, David Peterson 

52, 59,66,67,71,522 

the peacemaker 69 



544 Prentice's History of New York State 



PAGE 

De Witt, Charles 256 

Commodore 359 

Simeon 381 

Dieska u, Baron 175 

director-general 469 

disbanding the army 301 

distribution of Indian tribes.... 20 

of slaves 399 

Dix, John A. ...380, 422, 448*, 449, 496 

Dobb's Ferry 297 

Dongan, Governor Thomas 

117*, 123,471 

Douglas, Frederick 407 

Downing, George 86 

draft riots of 1863 432 

Drake. Sir Francis 30* 

Joseph Rodman 525 

Draper, A. S., o 91 

Dred-Scott decision 412 

Drunimond, General 357 

Duane, James 215*, 216, 317 

William 392 

Dudley, Charles C 380 

duel of Burr and Hamilton 341 

Duer, William 256 

duke's laws 104, 106 

DuQuesne (Fort) 174, 181, 183 

Dunlap, Wm., history of New 

York 524 

Dunmore, Earl of 209* 

Dupuys, Sieur 164 

Dutch and English 40, 86, 98 

and Iroquois 46 

and Puritans 46, 57, 91 

claims 40,64, 86 

colony, failure of 95 

control of education 489 

elements in modern New 

York 532 

enterprise 35 

fleet at New York 110 

government of New York... 38 

names and customs 307 

race of merchants 57 

——re-take New York 110 

tolerance 93 



PAGE 

Dutch trade 38 

Dutchess county 535 

duties of the people 411 

on imports 309,314 

East and West Jersey 142 

India company 21 

river 36 

Eastman, S. S., q 22 

Eckf ord, Henry 355 

edict of Nantes 94 

education in New York 489 

Ed ward (Fort) 176 

Eelkens, Jacob 58 

eight men 71, 470 

election expenses 465 

elective franchise 258, 483 

Elmira 286, 428 

emancipation proclamation 431 

embargo on commerce 348 

embassy to Canada, 1776 230 

England an aggressor 348 

and Holland at war 83 

English claim to New Nether- 
land 53 

claims 40, 86,98 

elements in modern New 

York 532 

navy 328 

proprietary colonies 420 

revolution of 1688 123 

episcopacy established 141 

equal representation of States... 318 

rights for all men 418 

taxation 105 

era of good feeling 380 

Erie canal 325, 365 

completed 371 

enlargement of 476 

father of 505 

importance of 373 

opening of 371 

opposition to 372 

(Fort) 357 

(Lake) 355 

,Pa 369 



Index 



545 



PAGE 

Esopus 47, 111 

evacuation of New York 301, 459 

Evartson, Cornelius 109, 124 

Evening Post, the 340, 362, 394 

executive committee of one hun- 
dred 473 

expedition against Canada, 1775,228 

explorations in New York 28 

ex ports from New York 326 

exposition of 1893 466 

extension of slavery 417 

factory legislation 449 

farmers of New York 360 

Fassett, J. Sloat 465 

Faucett, Edgar 528 

federalists 317, 318, 38o 

Fenian raid, 1866 443 

Fenton, Reuben E 437*, 438, 443 

feudal tenures abolished 405 

fiat money 332 

Field, David Dudley 407 

Fillmore, Millard 410*, 513-515 

final campaign, 1781 297 

fire, great, of 1835 395 

first American victory 226 

conflict of the revolution. ..204 

continental congress, 1774. . .217 

government in New York. . . 45 

governor's message 155 

royal assembly 131 

Fish, Hamilton 410* 

Nicholas 349 

Fishkill 255 

Fisk, "Jim" 446 

five men 45 

Five points 154 

flag of our Union 426 

protects the sailor — 351 

Flagg, Azariah C 380 

Flatbush 489, 535 

Fletcher, Governor 132 

floods of 1889 '464 

Flower, Roswell P 465* 

Floyd, John Gelston 441 

William 239, 321, 441 



PAGE 

Flushing 477 

Folger, Charles J 457 

Forbes, General Joseph 181 

Ford bill 484 

forest, fish and game laws 485 

Forsyth, Captain 354 

Fort Plai n .' 287 

fortification of New York 361 

four colonial families 501 

France an aggressor 348 

and America 280 

and England 98 

(treaty with), 1778 279 

franchise, elective 416, 483 

colored voters 382, 416, 449 

extended 382, 405 

— — property qualification 

378, 382, 416, 44» 

residence qualifications 449 

secret ballot 531 

Franklin, Benjamin 

133*, 173*, 230, 242, 315 

fraudulent land grants 134 

Frederick the Great 506 

free school society of New York. 493 
schools, appropriation for.. 493 

battle for 494 

billfor 495 

ships and sailors rights 351 

soilers .408 

soil party 510 

trade in the Netherlands.... 64 

freedom of conscience 119 

of the city 153 

of the press 305 

freehold lands 405 

Fremont, John C 417* 

Freneau, Philip 523 

French alliance 282 

allies 297 

and English 123 

claims 172, 187 

and Indian war 171-193, 197 

cost of 188 

and Iroquois 21, 134, 150, 157 

arms in New York, 1665 165 



546 Prentice's History of New York State 



PAGE 

French at war with Iroquois 133 

colonies in New York 165 

fortiflcations 171 

invasion 127 

on the frontiers 156 

post at Niagara 150 

re volution 326 

scare, 1798 333 

trade on Lake Champlain . . . 150 

voyageurs 171 

Frontenac, Count... 133, 166, 168, 169 

(Fort) 169, 171, 182 

Fulton, Robert 345,346* 

fugitive slave law 399, 413, 414 

Gansevoort, Peter 265* 

Garangula 167 

Gardiner, Lyon 65 

Gardiner's island 65, 136 

Garfield, James A 439, 455*, 456 

speech in New York 439 

Gates, Horatio 250, 

264*, 265, 269, 274, 300 

quarrel with Arnold 271 

general assembly, 1683... 118, 120, 471 

convention of 1653 84 

Genesee Valley canal 454 

devastated 286 

Genet, Edmund 327, 329, 333 

and Washington 327 

George 1 155*, 472 

II 155*, 195 

Ill ... . 195*, 204, 208, 212, 238, 282 

prematurely delighted 263 

(Fort) 289,302,354 

reservation 485 

(Lake; 175, 176, 179, 181, 485 

German Flats 147 

mercenaries 276 

Germantown, battle of 276 

Gettysburg, battle of 432 

Ghent, treaty of 362 

Gilder, Richard Watson 528 

gold, premium on 446 

Golden Hill conflict, 1770 206 

Good Hope (Fort) 57 



PAGE 

Gorges, Sir Ferdinando 40 

Gorham, Nathaniel 312 

Gould, Jay 446 

government during the revolu- 
tion 315 

in 1702 139 

interference with State poli- 
tics 377 

revenues of colonial 151 

governor, growth of power 

140, 258, 469 

term of 380, 450, 468, 469, 470 

governors of New York xii 

Grant, Ulysses S 

432, 439, 443, 444*, 457, 518 

death of 461 

on enforcement of law 515 

tomb dedicated 478 

Grasse, Count De 297 

Gravesend . . 535 

Gray's Elegy 186 

Great Britain 363 

great fire of 1835 395 

Greater New York 477 

Greeley, Horace. 447*, 513, 515-518, 528 

Green Mountain boj's 310 

Greene, Gen. Nathaniel 296* 

and Gen. Gates 296 

Greenfield's Journal 336 

Griffin, R. M 452 

Gross, William J 452 

Gustavus Adolphus 62 

Hail, Columbia 334 

Hale, Nathan 248, 294 

half-breeds 455 

Half Moon, Hudson's vessel 33 

Hall, .\. Oakey 445 

Halleck, Fitz-Greene 525* 

Hamilton, Alexander 244, 

..317, 319, 323, 329, 340, 341, 342* 

and Hurr contrasted 341 

Andrew 153 

" hard cider " campaign 400 

Hardy, Sir Charles ..158 

Harlem 255 



Index 



547 



Harlem Heights, battle of 247 

Harper's Ferry, insurrection at. .419 

Harrison, Benjamin 463* 

William Henry. .. ..356,400* 

Hartford treaty 80, 86 

Hathorn, John 321 

Hawiey , Gideon 495 

Hajes, Rutherford B 452*, 453 

electoral commission 519 

Helder, battle of 109 

Hempstead 477,479 

Hendrick, King 175* 

Herkimer, Nicholas 265*, 267 

Hessian riflemen 262 

Hessians 270 

Hiawatha 190 

an Onondaga Indian 18 

Hill, David B 461*, 463 

quarrel with legislature 465 

Hobart. John Sloss 256 

Hoffman, Governor John T 

443, 445*, 446, 447 

Holland, commission to 78 

company 312 

crime against 97 

debt to 532 

dependency of 420 

Land Company 401 

Holmes, Oliver Wendell 426 

Captain William 58 

Holt's New York Gazette. . . 198 

Hoosic 271 

Hopki nson, Joseph 334 

hostilities begun, 1775 226 

Howe, Admiral Richard 

239*,241, 243.276 

General William 

239*, 244, 248, 249, 253, 263 

George Augustus 181* 

Samuel 236 

Howells, William Dean 527*, 528 

Hudson, Hendrick 33* 

discoveries of 99 

river 307,531 

defended 252 

importance of 246 



PAGE 

Hudson river, map of 34 

tunnel 488 

Huguenots 93, 94, 127 

Hull, General 352 

Mary 1 06 

Ralph 106 

hunkers 510 

Hunt, Washington 410* 

Hunter, Elijah 524 

Governor Robert 147 

Hyde, Sir Edward, Lord Corn- 
bury 139-142* 

llion 147 

import duties surrendered 318 

imported tea ., ,212 

imprisonment for debt 375 

independence achieved ..296 

Independence (Fort^ 246 

independent element 483 

Indian allies, 188 

and a pair of shears 190 

character 22 

civilization 21 

■ currency 50 

Dutch and English efforts... 21 

government 18 

raids 304 

religion 23 

reservations 24 

Allegany 486 

Cattaraugus 486 

Niagara 458 

map of 25 

territory 19 

titles 309, 312 

trail 379 

treaties 39, 116 

tribes (map of) 20 

troops, last appearance 357 

troubles, 1778 281 

wampum 27 

Indians 354 

Algonquins 21 

Cayugas 18, 164 

Esopus 87, 88 



548 Prentice's History of New York State 



PAGE 

Indians, Hurons 161. 163, 164 

Iroquois 17, 21, 

32, 40, 164, 166, 191, 228, 263, 282 

Lenni-Lenapes .. 40 

Manhattan 22 

Metowacks 22 

Mincees 22, 40 

Mohawks 18, 31, 

40, 65, 161, 162, 163, 164, 166, 185 

and the tea 213 

Mohegans 22 

^Mohicans 40 

Oueidas . . 18, 164, 166. 263, 506 

Onondagas 18, 162, 169 

expedition against 285 

Seneca 18 

— - Tuscarora 18, 263 

and Jesuits 162 

brave. 23,190 

— - character of 141 

friendship of 167 

Long House 163 

presents to 137 

side with the English 24 

■ after the French war 190 

Ingoldsby, Major Richard 128 

Inland Lock Navigation compa- 
nies 324 

internal improvements.. 324, 404, 511 

navigation 324 

Invasion from Canada, 1780 289 

• of New York 166, 169 

irrepressible conflict. . ..398, 412, 416 
Irving, Washington 56, 524* 

Jackson, Andrew 

..385*, 387, 389, 392, 893, 396, 510 

Jamaica 477 

James 1 99, 535 

James, duke of York, afterwards 

James II 105 

abdication 124, 168 

admiral of the English 

navy 107 

and West India company. 

98* 107, 140 



PAGK 

James, duke of York, becomes 

James II 119 

brother of Charles II 97 

counties named from 535 

governor 471 

grants to f avorites . 105, 135, 139 

revokes charter of liberties. 

120, 131 

zeal for Catholicism 123 

—— (Fort) Ill 

Jamestown 437 

Jasper, (Fort) 81 

Jay, John 215,216, 256 

abolition of slavery 259 

advocates U. S. constitu- 
tion 317 

chief justice 280 

declaration of rights 217 

governor 326, 328*, 338 

influence with Washing- 
ton 323 

treaty with England.. 329, 333 

Jefferson, Thomas 331*, 339, 348 

Jesuit missionaries 

22, 32, 117, 134, 157, 161 

Jogues, Father Isaac 93, 161, 163 

Johnson, Andrew 440* 

Colonel Guy 228 

Samuel 192*, 491 

Sir John 232*, 263, 287, 288 

Sir William 

..157, 174*, 185, 206, 211, 228, 485 

as an author 523 

residence 232* 

William Samuel 491* 

Johnsons, the 281 

Johnstown 233 

raid 287 

Joliet 32 

Jones, Jacob 361 

Samuel 331 

Joris, Adriaen 43 

judicial power 258 

system 404 

judiciary, appointive 379 

elective 405, 531 



Index 



549 



PAGE 

judiciary of the State reorgan- 
ized 468 

July 4 173 

June election of 1776 237 

justices of the peace 382, 405 

Kelly, John 454 

Kent, James 520* 

Kidd, Captain William 135 

Kieft, William 

39,57,60,61,74, 162, 470 

Indian war of 79 

King James's patent 49 

John Alsop 416* 

Rufus 321*, 372 

Kings college 491, 492 

county 477, 535 

Kingsbridge 255, 297 

Kingston. 47, 87, 256, 274, 275, 279, 307 

burned 280 

State house, at 463 

Knickerbocker rule 389 

Kuower, Benjamin 380 

Kosciusko, Thaddeus..269*, 270, 345 
Kruckebeeck, Daniel Van 46 

laboring men in 1783 308 

Lafayette, Marquis de 298*, 326 

statue of 451, 485 

visit of 382 

Lamb, John 199, 212, 220, 229 

landt-tag of 1664 87 

LaSalle 32 

Lansing, John, jr 317 

laws to be enforced 515 

Lee (Fort) 246, 250 

General Charles 234* 

Robert E 432,438 

Leggett, William 394 

legislation 483, 485 

legislative power, growth of 470 

legislature, migratory 304 

of 1 702 : 140 

salary of members 449 

Leisler, Jacob... 106, 125-130, 168, 503 
Lemon. Jonathan 412 



PAGE 

LeMoyne, Father Simon. 163, 164, 165 

Leverette, John 84 

Lewis, Francis 219, 239, 441 

Harris 454 

Morgan 339, 340*, 492 

Lewiston 369 

Lexington, battle of 208, 2l6 

Lexow, Clarence, investigation.. 475 

liberal republicans 447 

liberty pole .204, 206 

statue of 462 

libraries in New York city 476 

Lincoln, Abraham.. .422, 423, 424, 

...431, 432, 434, 436, 437, 457, 513 

and Horace Greeley 517 

death of 438,526 

enforcement of law 515 

Earl of 156 

liquor traffic 61, 69, 411 

literature fund .494 

inviolate 405 

Little Britain 504 

Falls 324, 469 

Livingston family 238, 340, 503 

Brockholst 504* 

Edward 339, 504* 

Manning 441 

Philip 192, 216*, 239, 441, 503 

Robert 116*, 135, 137, 503 

Robert R. . .197, 212, 219, 256, 504 

advocates U. S. constitu- 
tion 317 

chancellor 260* 

gives oath to Washington. 323 

invention of steamboats.. 

345,347 

minister to France 339, 345 

Walter 260 

William 523 

local option 448 

Lockyear, Captain 214 

locof ocos 401 

Long Island 45, 106, 304 

battle of 240 

City 477 

Sound. 47 



550 Prentice's History of New York State 



PAGE 

Longfellow, Henry W 426 

lotteries prohibited 379 

Loudon, John C. , Earl of 

178, 181, 184* 

Sara uel 336 

Louis XIV 94, 97*, 107, 

109, 112, 147, 165, 168, 179, 180 

Louisiana purchase 339 

Lovelace, Governor Francis 

105, 110, 111 

Governor John 145 

Low, Isaac 215, 216 

Lowell, James R 426 

Lundy's Lane 357 

Lyman, General 175 

McCaulay, James 311 

McClellan, George B 437* 

McCli ntock, Thomas 407 

McDougall, Alexander 215, 216 

McDonough, Captain Thomas... 

357, 359*, 360 

McEvors, James 196 

Mackenzie, Canadian leader 397 

Macomb, General Alexander 

354, 357, 359*, 360 

McGregor, (IMt.) 462 

McHenry (Fort) 362 

McKinley, William 477, 478*, 479 

McMaster, William Bach, q 315 

Madison, James. . . .317, 347*, 363, 372 

Magaw, Colonel Robert 249 

Malone, Father, upholds the flag. 434 

Manchester 376 

Manhattan 45, 50 

and Indian war 72 

bank 333,340 

becomes New Amsterdam... 83 

island 35, 42, 45, 535 

purchased of the Indians... 45 

staple rights to 57 

Manning, Captain John 110 

manufactures 335 

map of distribution of Indian 

tribes 20 

Indian reservations in New 

York 25 



PAGE 

map of Hudson river and Lake 

Champlain 34 

New York and New Jersey.. 63 

East and West Jersey 115 

New York during the Revolu- 
tionary war 226 

the lower Hudson during the 

Revolution 246 

plan of Ticonderoga 263 

Fort Stanwix in 1777 267 

Niagara Frontier, 1812 358 

canals of New York 368 

normal schools of New York. 498 

Marcy, William L...380, 381, 390*, 398 

Marquette 32 

Mary II 123* 

Massachusetts claim 311 

May, Cornelius Jacobson 43 

Mears, Prof. John W 454 

meeting in the fields, 1774 215 

Megapolensis, Dominie 

81,162,165,522 

memorial of 1679 77 

]Mercer, Colonel 178 

Mercier, Father 164 

Mexican war 404, 405 

Michaelis, Rev. Joseph 56 

midnight of the revolution 253 

Milborue 129 

military duty 105 

roads 189 

Millet, Father 167 

millions for defence 334 

minister and schoolmaster 91 

Minuit, Peter 44, 62,365 

and Bradford 49 

missionaries (French) 157 

]\Iississippi river 187 

mistress of the seas 360 

Mitchell, Dr. Samuel Latham. ...349 

mixture of races 93 

Mohawk river.. .262, 267, 324, 369, 372 

monarchy proposed , 300 

Monckton, Sir Robert 196* 

money (continental) 332* 

Monmouth, battle of 280 

Monroe, James 365*, 380 



Index 



551 



PAGE 

Montcalm, Marquis de..l78, 183, 186* 

Montgomery (Fort) 246, 272, 279 

Gov. John 151 

Gen. Richard 229* 

Montour Falls. 286 

Montreal 31, 186 

captured 229 

Mooney, William 349 

Mooers, Gen. Benjamin 357 

Gen. William 352 

Moore, Sir Henry 200, 206 

Morgan affair 384, 512 

Edwin D..418*, 420, 422, 424, 452 

William 384 

Mormon, Book of 376 

hill 376 

Mormons, origin of 376 

Morning Chronicle, The 340 

Courier and Enquirer, The.. 394 

Post, The ...516 

Morris, family 238 

chief justice 147 

George P 528 

Gouverneur 153, 256, 370* 

Lewis 152, 219, 239 

Lewis 441 

Richard 317, 369 

Morton, Levi P 476» 

Motley, J. L 426 

q 91 

Mott, Gershom 199 

James 406 

Mrs. Lucretia 406 

Muirson, George 490 

Munro, Colonel 179 

Murphy, Edward 483 

Murray, John, jr 493 

Lindley 244, 523* 

lu ut i ny act 204 

Nanfan, Governor John 137 

Napoleon 334 

defeat of 356 

Nassau county 479 

(Fort) 44 

built 36 

and New Sweden 80 





PAGE 


national credit 




.314 


government, need of... 





.314 


guard organized 




.437 






348 






3oq 


naval achievements 




.360 


navigation act of 1660 , 




.143 


laws 




1% 


Navy island 




.397 


Necessity (Fort) 




.173 


negro plots 


..148 


, 153 


New Amsterdam 


...83, 


, 164 


becomes New York 




.101 



New England 41, 95 

and New York 83 

threatens war 85 

New Hampshire, New York's 

claim to 309 

New Jersey 114 

map of 62, 1 15 

separated from JCew York... 105 

New Netherlands 38, 39, 78 

capture of 100 

once more 110 

New Orange Ill 

New Orleans, battle of 362 

New Rochelle 94 

New Utrecht 535 

New Windsor 299 

New Years day 92 

New York a ducal province 103 

abandoned 243 

accepts the constitution 318 

and New England united 122 

and New Jersey again united. 122 

associated press 394 

at the close of the revolution.306 

bay 33, 381 

bureau of Military statistics. 437 

city 230, 304, 322, 464 

capture of 100 

great fire, 1776 247 

great fire, 1835 395 

growth of 395 

hospital 210 

in Stuyvesant's time 90 

in 1783 306 



552 Prentice's History of New York State 



PAGE 

New York city schools 411 

claims relinquished 309 

committed to revolution 221 

counties 535 

county 535 

— — Courier and Enquirer 389 

development of 399 

disfranchised 205 

first election, 1777 260 

first legislature 280 

first supreme court 280 

future of 317 

Gazette 198, 522 

importance of in Burgoyne's 

siege 276 

in literature 522-528 

in 1760 191 

invaded, 1813 354 

Journal 522 

Journal of Commerce 394 

loyalty of 418, 422 

movement in literature 526 

of 1900 529-534 

politics 329, 339, 377 

prosperity of 421 

provincial congress, 1775, 220 

public library 476 

quiet in exciting period 420 

quota of 425, 426, 433 

schools 363, 531 

settlement of 35 

share in the revolution 304 

Society library 192 

the empire State 529 

war governor 422 

Xewburg 252, 273, 299, 307 

address, 1783 300 

newspaper period 393 

newspapers, 336 

Newtown 477 

New Yorker, The 516 

Niagara 150, 369 

Falls 190 

electric power 475 

(Fort) 171, 174, 185, 190 

taken 185 

frontier, map of 358 



PAGE 

Niagara river 354, 384, 397, 443 

Nicola, Colonel 300 

NicoUs, Robert.. 100, 103, 141, 490, 502 

Nicholson, Captain Francis 122 

Governor 125 

nine men 76, 79, 471 

Noah, Mordecai 528 

non-importation agreement, 1765 

199,211 

normal schools 499 

North Hempstead 479 

Northam's Civil Government, q..319 
not one cent for tribute 334 

O'Connor, Joseph , .466 

Ogdensburg 354 

Ohio valley 316 

Olcott, Thomas W 380 

Oneida canal 373 

lake 325, 369 

river 369 

the 353 

Onondaga country 137 

salt springs 32, 163 

Ontario, (Lake) 182, 265, 356, 372 

Orange county 535 

(Fort) 43,46, 101, 164 

William, Prince of... 47, 109, 111 

origin of the Mormons 376 

Oriskany 289 

battle of 265 

creek 265 

Osborn, Sir Danvers 158 

Ossawatomie Brown 419, 508 

Oswego... -..150, 174, 182, 185, 228, 307 

canal 372 

capture of 178 

river 369 

Otis, James 197 

Ottawa 191 

Owego creek 311 

Oyster Bay 479 

Paauw, Michael 52 

Paine, Judge 412 

Palatinate Germans 147 

Palatine 180 



Index 



553 



PAGE 

Pali tine Bridge 147 

Palfrey 426 

I'allsades 299 

encroachment on 486 

Palmyra 376 

panic of 1837 392, 396 

paper money and State banks — 331 

pardons 469 

Paris exposition 485 

treaty of, 1763 187, 351 

Parker, Amasa J 418 

Parkhurst, Rev. C. H 475 

parochial schools 475 

party for action 473 

names 336 

of union , 473 

paternal legislation 534 

Patriot war 397 

patroon estates 52 

system 50, 404 

patroons grow grasping 63 

peace commission 242 

faction 431 

of Breda 108, 109 

party 473 

Peck, Judge 494 

people's party 381 

Penn, William 116, 117* 

period of riots 395 

Perry, Oliver Hazard 354, 355* 

personal registration law 465 

Peyster, Abraham de 138 

Phelps and Gorham purchase.... 311 

^ Oliver 312 

Philipse Manor 255 

Phillips, Frederick 1 17 

Phoenix, the 347 

picture of residence of Sir Will- 
iam Johnson 232 

Fort Stan wix in 1777 267 

' Saratoga battlefield monu- 
ment 278 

capture of Major Andre 293 

State money of New York... 330 

Continental money 332 

Pierce, Franklin 417* 

pike. General Zebulou 354 



PAGK 

Pinckney, Charles Cotesworth.. 

333,334 

piracy 135 

Pitcher, Lieutenant-governor. . . .386 
Pitt, William, see Lord Chatham 

Piatt, Thomas C 455, 456, 478 

Plattsburg 3.54, 357, 359 

Plymouth company 40 

council of 41 

Poe, Edgar Allan 527*, 528 

political assesments 458 

parties 336, 384, 473, 477 

Polk, James K 403*, 408, 511 

Poncet, Father Joseph 162 

Pontiac's rebellion, 1763 191 

popular government ended 68 

population of New York in 1820.377 

populist party 475 

Porter, David 361 

James 380 

Portugal claims 28 

postage 336 

postmaster general 456 

post-roads 336 

Poughkeepsie 307, 318 

Pratt, of Massachusetts 194 

Presbyterian church occupied.. .142 

Presbyterians forbidden 144 

Presentation, (Fort) 156, 171 

president, power of 317 

presidential electors 382, 387, 404 

Presque Isle 355 

Prevost, General 355, 359, 360 

Prideaux, General 184, 185 

Prince Edwards Isle 181 

prison reforms 463 

ships 252, 485 

prisons in New York 375 

private schools 475 

privileges of the people 404 

problems of government 309 

prohibition party 477 

prohibitory legislation 

413, 414, 448, 454, 476, 534 

property qualification.. .257, 258, 382 

rights of women 408 

prorogue 218 



554 Prentice's History of New York State 



PAGE 

provincial congress 221, 473 

convention 219, 238 

public moneys 495 

school society 411 

works, superintendent of 453 

Puritans 47 

thrift of 58 

Putnam, General Israel. 236, 241*, 279 

Quakers 93, 142 

driven from Manhattan 77 

Quebec 164, 184, 185, 229, 252, 289 

Queens county 479, 536 

race discrimination 258 

radicals 402, 408 

Raines law 476 

rapid transit in New York 487 

Raritan Indians 66 

rate bill 495 

Raymond, Henry J 528 

re-action of 1862 430 

Read, Thomas Buchanan 528 

recent events 483 

recuperation after the war 442 

Red Jacket 312*, 357 

regents of the University 468, 492 

Veligious freedom 257 

' — intolerance 77, 144, 165 

tolerance.... 93, 119, 120, 131, 141 

worship 105 

Rensselaerwick 53, 54, 64 

republic 314 

republicans. 327, 329, 336, 380, 417. 477 
residence qualifications of voters. 449 
restrictions on commerce. 196,211, 351 

on trade 211 

retaliation proposed 305 

revolution, cost of 472 

high tide of the 276 

revolutionary sentiment 194 

Rhode Island 211 

Richmond county 477, 535 

Rigdon, Sidney 376 

rights of the people 143, 404, 411 

Ripley, General 357 

Rising, John 81 



PAGE 

Rivington, James 231* 

road s 324 

Robertson, William H 456 

Robinson, Lucius 4.52*, 454 

Thomas 199 

Rochambeau, Comte de 296* 

Rochester 307 

^oebling, John A 459 

Washington A 457 

Roelandsen, Adam 489, 490 

Rome 178, 183, 369 

Roosevelt, Theodore, frontis- 
piece* 479, 488, 530 

Royal African company 98 

Gazette, The 231 

Greens 263 

province 122 

rule of England 221 

Rulinson, Adams 56 

Rutledge, Edward 242* 

Rymbault, Charles 161 

Ryswick, treaty of 133, 169 

sabbath observance 92 

Sacketts Harbor 353 

attack on 355 

safety fund 337 

St. Johns 229 

St. Lawrence river 353 

St. Leger, Barry 262*, 265, 267 

defeat of 26 

Salt lake 369 

Sanford, Nathan 381 

sanitary commission 428 

Saratoga 289, 359, 535 

— — battlefield monument 278* 

battles of 271-273 

burning of 157 

Saugerties 535 

Savage. John 381 

savings banks 450 

Saxton ballot reform law 465 

Schenectady 137, 369 

assault upon 168 

- — burned 127 

schepen 82 

Schoharie valley invaded 288 



Index 



55: 



PAGE 

school commissioner 499 

fund inviolate ..405 

of New York 494 

lejiislation 449 

supervision 495 

schools 363, 531 

schout 82 

Schuyler family 501 

Col. John 133, 501 

Col. Peter 

..119, 132*, 145, 149, 169, 192, 501 

influence with the Iroquois. 132 

Gen. Philip John 

...157, 182, 219, 229, 238, 342, 501 

against the Johnsons. 232, 288 

and the Indians 228 

captured 178* 

influence with Washington 

323 

mansion burned 274 

relieves Fort Stanwix 266 

superseded by Gates 

263,264*, 269 

U. S. senator 321 

Hon Yost 268 

(Fort) 190 

Schuyler's island 251 

Scotch highlanders, 1798 154 

Scott, John Morin 256 

Winfleld 354, 357*, 397 

seal of New York 122 

searching vessels 351 

Sears, Isaac 199, 207, 220, 231 

Seawan 50 

secession 424 

secessionists 427 

second war for independence 351 

self-government demanded 75 

senate, membership of ...338, 405, 469 

Seneca Chief, The '371 

lake 311 

river 369 

Seventeenth New York regiment. 425 

Seward, William Henry 

. .388, 398*, 402, 412, 423, 439, 453 

Seymour, Horatio 

..411*, 413, 423, 431, 436, 444, 459 



PAGE 

Seymour and S. J. Tilden 518 

death of 444 

shipping 335 

Shirley, Gov. William 174 

Shute, John 490 

silver issue 477, 478 

sinking fund 405 

Six Nations 206, 228, 312 

slave power 399 

States, additional 40& 

slavery, abolition of .259, 402, 411, 416 

in New York 148 

Sloughter, Col. William 

126, 129,131,413, 472 

Smith, Gerrit 419*. 507-509 

Joseph 376 

Melancthon 317 

William 256 

history of New York .523 

Smits, Claus 66 

socialist labor party 477 

society for prevention of crime. .475 

Sodus bay 311 

soldier votes 431, 437 

song-birds, protection of 462 

sons of liberty 201, 30.5, 315 

Sorel river 185, 359 

South river 43 

southern tier 307 

Spanish, cession to the 187 

claims 40, 99 

ex plorations of 28 

war 479 

New Y'ork's part in 479 

Sparks, Jared 426 

Spaulding, Solomon ,..376 

Spencer, John C 400 

Spirit of the Times 394 

Staats Zeitung, The 394 

stalwarts 455 

stam p act 196 

congress, 1765 197 

repealed 202 

riot 197 

Standish, Miles, 85 

Stanton, Edwin M 439 

Mrs. Elizabeth Cady 406 



556 Prentice's History of New York State 



PAGE 

Stanwix, (Fort) 

157, 183, 190, 266*, 285, 312 

siege of 265 

trejity of 206 

Gen. John 185 

Stark, John 182 

State and municipal elections 

separated 468 

banks 387, 392 

bounty debt 453 

< capitol 454 

" constitutions 255, 256, 

257, 338, 378, 404, 443, 453, 468 

flower, the rose 465 

money of New York 330* 

prisons, superintendent of.. 453 

superintendent of schools... 

411, 499 

office re-established 411 

appeal to 496 

Staten island 45, 53, 66, 240 

steamboats, first 345 

Stedman, Edmund Clarence. 527*,528 

Stephens, John Cox 345, 347 

Steuben, Baron 506* 

Stewart, Charles 360* 

Stillwater 324 

^ battle of 273 

Stirling, Lord 235* 

Stoddard, Richard Henry... 527*, 528 

Stony Point ( Fort) 246 

captured 284 

reservation 485 

Stowe, Harriet Beecher 412* 

Stuart, John 198* 

Stuyvesant, Peter 

73, 74*, 141, 164, 471,489 

intolerant 76 

suckenhock 50 

Suffolk county 536 

Sullivan, General John 242, 286* 

;Sulli van's campaign 286 

Sumter, (Fort) 220 

■supply bill 205 

Swansdale 54, 69, 70 

Swedes on the Delaware 62, 75 

Swift, General Joseph 361 



Sylvester, Peter 
Syracuse 



PAGE 

321 

52, 285, 307, 369 



Talcott. Samuel L 380, 381 

Tallmadge,Lieutenaut-Governor.371 

Tammany society 349, 377 

Taney, Roger B 392 

Tawasentha, treaty of 39, 46 

tax on tea 209, 211 

taxation 95, 1 19, 120, 483 

by the people 79, 140 

without consent 195 

taxes of New Netherland 95 

regulated by the people 79 

Taylor, Bayard 527*, 528 

Zachary 410*, 514 

tea shipped to America 212 

temperance law 476 

movements 413 

Texas, admission of 406 

Thayendanegea 175* 

Throop, Enos Thompson 388* 

Ticonderoga (Fort).. 181, 184, 185, 

..,226, 246, 251, 262, 263, 264, 289 

captured 263 

Tilden, Samuel J 

409, 445, 449*, 476, 518-520 

trust 476 

Tilden-Hayes electoral count 452 

Times, The New York 445, 519 

Tioga county 311 

Tippecanoe, hero of 400 

to the victors belong the spoils.. 339 

Tompkins, Daniel D 338. 

..347*, 363, 365, 366, 377, 378, 492 

death of 385 

Toombs, Robert 422 

tories 201, 288, 305, 389 

town commissioners 496 

inspectors 499 

superintendent 499 

Townsend, Samuel 256 

Thomas S., q 426, 440 

Tracy, Lieutenant-Governor 404 

Marquis de 165 

training classes 499 

treason 260 



Index 



557 



PAGE 

treaty of Hartford 80. 86 

Ghent 362 

Utrecht 149 

Tr<' II ton 250 

battle of 250 

trespass bill 306 

trial by jury 105 

Tribune. The New York 

, 447,513,515, 51T 

Trinity (Fort) 81 

school 491 

triple alliance, 1666 108 

Troy 307 

trustees, school 499 

Tryou county, 211 

county militia 265 

Governor 210, 227, 279, 299 

Tweed, William Marcy..444, 445. 447 

rin? 444, 447, 519 

twelve men 66. 470 

Tyler, John 400* 

Ulster county 285, 535 

Uncle Tom's Cabin 412 

underground railroad 413 

Underbill, Captain 71 

under the constitution 314 

Union forever 426 

League Club 436 

square meeting, 1861 428 

United States bank 392.396 

deposit fund 393. 494 

flao: on all school buildings. 476 

University of the State of New 

York 469, 492 

Utica 369 

Utrecht, treaty of 149 

Valcour Island 250 

Valley Forge 277 

Van Buren, Martin..377,380, 387*, 

390. 396, 401, 409, 509, 510, 512, 518 

Van Cortland family 238 

Jacob, 147 

Pf rie 260. 328 

Philip 125 

Stephen 117, 125 



PAGE 

Van Curler, Arendt 116, 162, 167 

Van Dam, Rip 147, 151 

Van der Douck 522 

Van Kruckebeeck, Daniel 46 

Van Rensselaer, family 

238, 307, 402, 502. 503 

Colonel 147, 353 

Jeremiah 321, 502* 

Killian 52, 441 

Mrs. Anna, 4 56 

General Robert 288 

Stephen 352, 370,371, 503* 

Van Twiller, Governor Wouter.. 

56, 530 

and Kief t 61 

Jacob 58 

Vanderbilt, William H 457 

Vaughn, General 275, 280 

Vermont, New York's claim to.. 309 

relinquished 310 

Verazzano 9.. 30* 

Vestius, William 489 

Vicksburg, battle of 432 

Virginia, colonization 172, 174 

Von der Donck, Adrian 77 

voting machines 468 

Vriesdale 70 

Wadsworth. James S 430 

Waldenses 94 

Wall street built 71 

Wallabout. 43, 252 

Walloo.is 42, 46, 93 

Walters, Robert 138 

Walworth, Reuben Hyde 521* 

wampum 50. 79 

war of 1812 a51 

cost of 363 

results 362 

King George's 156 

King William's 168 

Queen Anne's 144 

of the Austrian succession.. 156 

of the Spanish succession... 144 

Washington, burning of 361 

(Fort) 246 

captured 249 



•8 Prentice's History of New York State 



Washington, George 

253, 317, 322*, 342 506 

a general 239 

camp of 234 

commander-in-chief 227 

death of .334 

defeat of 241 

disappointment of 296 

farewell address of 302 

in New York 276, 299 

inauguration of. . . 323, 464 

reprimands Arnold 290 

statue of 459 

Watson, Elkanah 324 

Waverly 282 

Wayne, Anthonj- 284* 

Webb, General 179 

James Watson 389, 394, 528 

Webster, Daniel 452, 514* 

Noah 336 

Weed, Thurlow 384*, 388, 512, 513 

weekly payments to employees. .465 

Wellington, Duke of 356 

Westchester county .535 

West India company 

41, 43, 50, 51,57,74,82, 

98, 101, 103, 106, 110, 139, 140, 164 

complaints against 63, 78, 87 

West Point 246,252,279 

military academy 345 

western lands, title to 316 

Wheeler, AVilliam A 443 

Whig party 389, 402, 406 

White Plains 249. 275 

Whitman. Walt 526* 

Whittier, John G 426 

Wiley, William 199 

Willett, Colonel Marinus 

227, 265, 267, 268*, 349 

Thomas 85, 104 

William III.... 109. 123*, 131. 135, 1.39 



William and Mary 123*, 472 

(Fort) 157 

Henry (Fort).... Ill, 131, 179,246 

Williams, Colonel 175 

Willis, Nathaniel Parker. . .527*, 528 

Windmill Point 250 

Winney, Cornelias 307 

Winsor, Justin, q 316 

Winthrop, Governor 101, 110 

Wirt, Wil Main §89 

Wisner Henry 256 

Witchcraft 106 

Wolfe, General 184, 185, 186*. 229 

death of 186 

woman suffrage 408 

woman's rights movement 406 

women of Dutch New York 91 

Women's Central Relief associa- 
tion 428 

Wood creek 369 

Fernando 415, 427 

Woolsey, Lieutenant 353 

svorkingmen's party 388 

Wright, Silas 

..380, 388. 390, 403*, 405, 510-512 

and DeWitt Clinton 511 

and S. J. Tilden 518 

Wyoming massacre 282 

Yankee 480 

Yates, Abraham, jr 256, 257» 

Joseph C 381* 

J. Van Ness 381 

Robert 256, 317 

year of blood, 1643 69 

Yeo, Sir James 356 

Young, John 406* 

Men's Christian association.463 

York, Duke of 471 



Zenger. John Peter. 



152. 522 



ACKNO\VLEDGEMENTS 



For the picture on page 266 we are indebted to the painter of the origi- 
nal picture of which this is a photo-engraving — P. F. Hugunine, of Rome, 
who gives special permission for its use in tliis work. 

The niiip on pase 358 is from an old number of Harper's Magazine. 

The maps of Nhw York printed in two colors are all from the 17l3t 
edition of Northam's Civil Government. 



'Tti:e school bulletin' publications. 



Books for New York Schools. 

1. A Manual of School Laiv. By C. W. Bardeen. Cloth, 16mo, pp. 
SOO. Manilla, 50 cts. ; cloth, $1.00. 

This book has been for twenty years the only recognized text-book oa 
the subject. The present edition was wholly re-written in 1896, and brings 
the subject up to date. It includes the author's *' Handbook for School 
Trustees ", and adds all the questions in school law given at uniform exam- 
inations from the first to March, 1896, with full answers as imblished by the 
State Department corrected to date according to changes in the law. As 
school law is hereafter to be required in all teachers' examinations, 2d and 
3d grades, as well as 1st, this book is absolutely indispensable to every 
teacher, and hence has been put in the Standard Teachers' Library. 

2. Laws of New York relating to Common Schools, with Comments and 
Instructions, and a digest of Decisions. Leather, 8vo, pp. 807. $2.50. 

This is what is known as " The Code of 1888", and is the final authority 
upon all disputed questions. 

3. A BescrijMve Geography of the Empire State. By C. W. Bardeen. 
Cloth, 8vo, pp. 126, with 25 outline maps on uniform scale, 5 relief maps, and 
125 illustrations. 75 cts. 

The advance orders for this book exceeded any that have before been re- 
ceived for any of our publications. Its most marked characteristic is its ap- 
peal to the eye. Its illustrations are abundant and typical, and its 25 outline 
maps on uniform scale, each making promiuent one thing at a time, commend 
themselves at sight. No New York school can afford to be without it. 

4. A Brief History of the Empire State, for Schools and Families. By 
Welland Hendrick, a.m. Cloth, small 4to, pp. 201. 75 cts. 

This book has proved one of our great successes, more than three hun- 
. dred schools having officially adopted it. This subject has beeu made a 
part of the Regents' course of study, with special questions in the examina- 
tions, and the Department of Public Instruction gives it five counts at the 
examinations for State certificates. Whether used as a history, or as a sup- 
plementary reading-book, it has given universal satisfaction. 

5. Civil Government for Common Schools, prepared as a manual for 
public instruction in the State of New York. To which are appended the 
Constitution of the United States, and the Declaration of Independence, 
etc., etc. By Henry C. Northam. Cloth, 16mo, pp. 220. 75 cts. 

This book no longer needs description, as its use is almost universal. 
The present edition gives all the changes under the new constitution. 

6. A Chart of Civil Government. By Charles T. Pooler. Sheets 12 x 
18. 5 cts. The same folded for the pocket, in cloth covers, 25 cts. 

7. History of Educational Journalism in New York. By C. W. Kar- 
DEEN. Paper, 8vo, pp. 45. 50 cts. 

C. W. BAKDEEN, Publisher, Syracuse, N. T 



THE SCHOOL BULLETIN PUBLICATIONS 

" Heiflricl's Brief History of tie Empire State. 

The success of this work may be judged from the fact that the last Re- 
gents' report giving the text-books used shows that the number of schools 
in which Hendrick's History is used has increased from 98 in 1891-2, when 
first published, to 162 the next year, 189 the next, 231 the next, and 268 in 
1895-6, the last reported, while two others are used altogether, and these only 
in 2 schools. Since the Regents give two counts to New York history, and 
the Department of Public Instruction gives nearly half the questions in 
American history to New York history, principals are not slow to see that the 
trend in history as in geography is toward beginning at home, and making 
first well-known that which is nearest. Here are some testimonials: 

Entered 50 in New York history; passed 42, or 92$? of class. Think the 
book first-class for the purpose.— Principal J. A. Bassett, Richfield Springs. 

We use your History, 40 in the class. It is the best supplementary 
Reader I ever saw. — F. L. Gammage, Headmaster St. Paul's School. 

Hendrick's book was used as a supplementary book in one of our gram- 
mar classes with very great acceptance. The teachers report great interest 
on the part of the pupils, and express the opinion that the book is admir- 
ably adapted to the purpose for which it was designed. It ivas by all odds 
the most popular reading book placed in the hands of the c^rts^.— Principal 
E. N. Jones, Plattsburgh Normal, while superintendent at Saratoga Springs. 

Two things especially impress me in perusing this work, viz.: the im- 
portance of this knowledge to the school children of New York State, and 
the means of acquiring the same, made attractive by the clear and concise 
style of the author.— Commissioner Oscar Granger, Tioga county, N. Y. 

What a fine work the " History of the Empire State " is ! I hope to see 
it in every school, for it is exactly such knowledge that will prove most in- 
structive to the children of our State.— J.. H. Wilson, School Commissioner, 
Fayetteville, N. Y. 

Mr. Welland Hendrick, a teacher of history, finding the need of a brief 
history of New York State, set about to supply the deficiency. The result 
of his labors in compilation, arrangement, and condensation is a very satis- 
factory text-book. In a compact manual of eighteen chapters he outlines 
the story of the Empire State. The descriptive matter is well furnished 
with wood-cuts, portraits and maps. In an appendix a number of well 
framed questions are given for each chapter, making the work doubly use- 
ful for the scholar and teacher. There is also an index. * * * It is really 
quite refreshing to find the maker of a text-book of the history of New 
York going at it properly, instead of hieing at once, as is usual with the 
compiler, to Washington Irving, and taking him seriously. Mr. Hendrick 
shows the sturdy qualities of the first settlers of New York, pays high trib- 
ute to the merits of the Hollanders, does justice to Leisler, emphasizes the 
story of liberty, gives due proportion of space to the events leading to the 
Revolutionary and later wars, and to the triumph of peace. The last chap- 
ter treats of the era of centennial celebrations.— TAe Critic. 

C. W. BAKDEEX, Publisher, SjTacuse, N. Y. 



THE SCHOOL BULLETIN PUBLICATIONS 

Martin's Stories of New Yorl{ 

The recent marked tendency to make local history prominent in sup- 
plementary reading is in every way to be commended. Children like tales 
of adventure and daring, they like such tales the more if they know they 
are true, and still more if they are associated Avith places near by or well- 
known. 

New York is as remarkable in its history as in its geography. Here were 
the headquarters of the Indians; here were some of most romantic of ex- 
plorations; here were the most important battles of the revolution and of 
the war of 1812; here the Erie canal was built; here the first steamboat ran; 
here the development of commerce and of manufactures has been the 
greatest. To ride from Albany to New York or to Buffalo is to pass through 
a region full of historical associations. 

This history is t-he rightful heritage of the children of the State. They 
have the right to expect of their education that it shall enable them to 
recognize its landmarks and recall their associations. When they see from 
the windows of the train the Oriskany. monument, it should call up the 
picture of what Avas perhaps the pivotal battle of the revolution, with General 
Herkimer wounded at the foot of the tree but still directing his men. 
When they pass the ruins of Ticonderoga, their minds should recall Ethan 
Allen's rough demand for its surrender. Crown Point, Plattsburg, Oswego, 
Niagara. Stony Point— what memories of valiant deeds should cluster about 
these names. 

This volume is a contribution to this end. The stories deal with the 
Indians, the explorers, the patroons; they tell of Champlain and Stuyvesant 
and Leisler; of the settlement of New York, the burning of Schenectady, 
the capture of Ticonderoga and Stony Point, the surrender of Burgoyne, 
the treason of Arnold. Most of the stories are told as by contemporaries— 
the narrative of the wounded soldier to his grandchild, the letter of the 
husband to the wife, of the son to his absent mother. They have all been 
used in the schoolroom and have all been found to be interesting to the 
children. Profitable they cannot fail to be. 

For supplementary reading the advantage of stories which have a con- 
nection is well known to observing teachers. The volume is in large and 
open type, in familiar conversational style, and handsomely illustrated, so 
that as a reader for children of the fourth to seventh grades it deserves a 
place in every school. It will prove among the most pleasing to the chil- 
dren, and certainly among the most useful in every way. Our children 
should know what a grand old State they live in, and they cannot learn his- 
tory more certainlj' and pleasantly than bj' using this volume as a reader. 

The expressed purpose of the regents of the university and of the de- 
partment of public instruction to give more and more prominence in the 
regents and in the uniform examinations in history and geography to the 
history and geography of New York, makes it especially desirable as an 
early preparation for these examinations. 
Cloth, 16mo, pp. 119, 41 portraits and other illustrations, 50 cts» 



TUB &CBOOL BVLLBTllT PVBIICATIOXS. 

Books for Teaching (jeograpliy. 

1. A Brief Geography of the Empire State. With 25 outline maps oa 
tmiform scale, 5 relief maps, and 125 illustrations. By C. W. Bardeek. 
Cloth, 8vo, pp. 120. 75 cts. Outline maps of New York for pupils' use to 
accompany It, 15 cts. per pad of 50. 

Primary Education says of this book : " The work has several unusual 
features. The series of outline maps is designed to make prominent one 
thing at a time. * * * There are also the unusual maps of Mineral Springs, 
Indian Reservations, and of Charitable and Correctional Institutions. The 
book is intended for the use of pupils as young as fifth grade. * * * The 
illustrations embrace the unequalled natural attractions of a State famous for 
its beauty of waterfall, mountain, and landscape. These illustrations are of 
excellent quality and tastefully arranged, and will be enjoyed by everybody 
who turns the leaves of this unique book, whether they belong to the Empire 
State or to some other part of our broad country. The book is full of unex- 
pressed State pride, and the school children of New York will feel richer ia 
their State inheritance after their study of this concentrated record of the 
facts, resources, and history of a State always justly proud of its past and 
present. * * * It is a credit not only to Publisher Bardeen's enterprise 
but to his love for his State and his recognition of the grade and quality of 
his State constituents, that he has seen and felt the occasion to bring out a 
book of this nature." 

2. The Oswego Method of Teaching Geography. By Amos W. Farnham. 
Cloth, 16mo, pp. 127. 50 cts. 

Dr. Sheldon, principal of the Oswego Normal, says in the preface : 
'• The plan, the order of arrangement, the exclusion of unnecessary details, 
all seem to me very commendable. And / take pleasure in endorsing it as 
an embodiment of my own idea as to the method of teaching geography.^* 

3. Descriptive Geography taught by means of Map-Drawing. By EvA-D. 
WiLKiNS. Boards 4to. 

(a) Map Drawing Book of the Continents, pp. 66. 75 cts. 
(&) Map Drawing Book of the United States , pp. 89. 75 cts. 
if) Teachers' Edition for both the above, pp. 129. $1.50. 

4. To/Jtcai Geogra^jAy, with Methods and Supplementary Notes. By Ida 
Ij. Griffin. Leatherette, 12mo, pp. 142. 50 cts. 

5. Oral Instruction in Geography. By Emma L. Pardon. Paper, 16mo, 
pp. 29. 15 cts. 

6. A School Geography of Pennsylvania. By J. W. Redwat. Leather- 
ette, 16mo, pp. 98. 35 cts. Indispensable to Pennsylvania teachers. 

7. A Globe Manual for Schools. By Flavius J. Cheney. Paper, 16mo, 
pp. 95. 25 cts. Few teachers grasp the possibilities of globe-instruction. 

8. The International Date Line. By Henry Collins. Paper, 16mo, pp. 
15. 15 cts. This is final authority on a subject often little understood. 

9. Latitude, Longitude and Time. By J. A. Bassett. ManlL'a, 16mo, 
pp. 42. 25 cts. Makes simple one of the most difficult subjects. 

C. W. BAKDEEX, Publisher, Syracuse, N. Y. 



OPINIONS OF BARDEEN S GEOGRAPHY OF THE EMPIRE STATE 

" An effort iu the right direction."— T/ii? Xation. 

"Contains all the information that is likely to be desired by teacher or 
pupil."— r^e Critic. 

"There are numerous illustrations, many of which are well chosen and 
well produced." — Science. 

" I am delighted with it. It is brimful of helpful suggestions."— Prin- 
cipal M. A. Taft, Mattituck, N. Y. 

" Mr. Bardeen issues some splendid books, and this is one of them. It 
is well arranged, edited, and printed, and the schools of New York are to 
be congratulated on having so good a geography."— Pe^ma«,'s Art Journal. 

" I have just finished reading your Geography of the Empire State, and 
I am heartily pleased with it. I never realized that there were so many 
places and things of interest and importance in this ^ia.iQ.'"— Frank L. 
Miller, School Commissioner, Schuyler Co., N. Y. 

" Bardeen's Geography of the Empire State meets a long-felt want. It 
is just what we need to prepare for regents geography. The arrangement 
of the subject matter is up to date. Our students are more than well- 
pleased with it."— Principal James M. Grimes, Mount Vernon, N. Y. 

" Received the Geography of the Empire State, and have read every 
word of it. It is deeply interesting to me. * * * j think every one who 
claims to be intelligent should make the book a study. Now we can have 
it, it seems a necessity. Every pupil of the public school should be re- 
quired to master this book somewhere in his course." — C. Ayer, Clifton 
Springs, N. Y. 

'■ Local geography is deservedly taking a high rank in school studies. 
'The regents make a separate requirement of geography and history of New 
York State. No better text-book can be found to give the desired inform- 
ation than Bardeen's Geography of the Empire State. Its illustrations and 
text combine to give the student a very excellent idea of what New York 
State really is."— C/ias. T. Andrews, New York Inspector of Normal Schools. 

" This is a vigorous and enterprising manual, copiously illustrated with 
maps and phototypes. It treats of the boundaries, surface, rivers, moun- 
tains, lakes, physical features, and geology of the State, its climate, pro- 
ductions, and political divisions, and, in a novel and ingenious chapter, 
takes the student over a series of the railway journeys possible in the State." 
^The Independent. 

" Mr. Bardeen has made a geography of New York State which can be 
Used by fifth year pupils as a text-book and by all folks as a work of refer- 
ence. It contains much matter not easily accessible to the ordinary stu- 
.dent and it contains all that the student and average reader needs. Within 
the compass of 125 pages the author has 21 full-page illustrations, 25 out- 
!ine maps on uniform scale, 5 relief maps, 125 illustrations, and enough 
letter press to satisfy the most exacting. It is the best State geography we 
have ever seen and its use in the schools of New York should be made com- 
pulsory."— T'/ie Teachers World. 



-STANDARD TEACHERS' LIBRARY. Xo. SO.- 



Bardeen's Common School Law. 

The revision of 1896, entirely rewritten, not only brings this standard 
text-book up to date, but adds much new matter, including a chapter on 
Rules and Regulations and the relations of teachers to the trustees and the 
superintendent. It is based on the New York consolidated school law as 
amended to date, but it gives references by page to the latest editions of the 
laws of all the other States and Territories with more than 500 of the latest- 
judicial decisions in this country and in Europe. For aormal schools and 
training classes the book, of course, is indispensable; and since School 
Law is one of the subjects required in uniform examinations in New York 
of all grades, the book is indispensable to teachers here, as well as without- 
rival for the teachers of other States. 

The first thing a teacher wants to know about such a book is whether 
it can be depended upon. The highest authority in the country, the Ha?'- 
vard Law Review, speaks as follows in the number for December, 1896: 

" This admirable book, first published in 1875 and for twenty years the 
only text-book on the subject for general use, has now for the first time 
been entirely rewritten. In its present form it is of general interest, and, 
it would seem, of practical necessity to the teacher. Part I, which has to 
do with school officers, is based almost entirely on New York law, but Part 
II, which relates particularly to the teacher, is a safe guide throughout the 
eountry both in school and in court. * * * The author cannot be too 
highly commended in that avoiding the common error of trying to draw 
hard and fast lines, he contents himself with illustrating by copious and apt 
quotation of legal decisions the various views possible on disputed points, 
and the application of such rules as admit of definite statement." 

The following are other testimonials from standard legal authorities: 

It seems to us that the work must be invaluable to trustees, as well as 
teachers, because innumerable questions concerning proper school rules, 
their enforcement, the line between proper and improper authority on the 
part of teachers, the subjects of punishment, expulsion, wages, and kindred 
topics, are gone into. — New Jersey Law Journal, Oct., 1896. 

The book contains a very complete tabular analysis of its contents, as 
well as a list of references to Superintendents' Decisions in the State of 
New York, and to statutes of the various States. It will undoubtedly be use- 
ful to both lawyers and teachers.— ^4m. Law Register and Review, Oct., 1896. 

This compact little book has been invaluable to the teacher, school 
©flRcer and lawyer. Of the new edition it is sufficient to say that it will be 
even more useful than former editions.— Lancaster Laiv Review, Aug. 3, 1896. 

The decisions of the courts in different States are very fully noted and 
eited. The book will prove very useful to the lawyer, as well as a work of 
much importance to the school officer and teacher.— J.me/7'can Laivyer^ 
Aug., 1896. 

16mo, pp. 276. Cloth $1.00 ; Manilla SO ets. 

C. W. BAKDEEX, Publisher, Syracuse, N. Y. 



■ OPINIONS OF BARDEEN^S SCHOOL LAW 

It is indispensable to the New York teacher, and valuable to any one.— 
Educational Review. 

It will interest parv^nts as well as teachers. It is an admirable treatise, 
<Soncise and clear. — New York World. 

The book has stood comparatively alone as a text-book and authority 
lor twenty years.— 7^ Ae Evangelist. 

It is a book needed at the present time of active interest in the affairs 
of common schools by the majority of intelligent citizens. — The Outlook. 

The author recognizes that among the teacher's first acquirements 
should be an accurate knowledge of his legal rights. No teacher can spend 
fifty cents to better advantage than in procuring a copy of this book.— iVor- 
w,al Teacher. 

It is carefully arranged, conveniently indexed, and covers all the com- 
mon questions which are apt to come up before school boards for a decision. 
It should find its place upon the shelves of every school board office.— ^m. 
jSchool Board Journal. 

" Common School Law for Common School Teachers " is the title of a 
legal treatise well known in the United States to all whom it concerns. It 
■would seem that a similar work, treating of the legal rights, duties, and 
status of English schoolmasters is much needed.— London Schoolmaster. 

It might be read with profit by any teacher, particularly the chapters on 
school government and discipline; it ought to be studied by every teacher 
in the Union, and it is indispensable to a teacher of New York State.— West- 
ern Advertiser, London, Ontario. 

The title of this book suggests its usefulness. Mr. Bardeen has done 
his work well. School questions are in many districts constantly arising. 
In this book can be found answers to many such questions. * * * Occa- 
sionally, however, the teacher is not at fault, and he must defend his 
rights. This book will show what they are. — Ohio Educational 3l07ithly. 

For school officers and teachers there is no more valuable book than C. 
W. Bardeen's Manual of Common School Law, a new and thoroughly re- 
vised edition of which has just been issued. The book contains in the 
briefest manner possible the decisions of the courts of all the States of the 
Union on all matters that relate to school affairs, and by tables a topical 
analysis shows the duties of school committees and teachers. Every teacher 
should own this book; it will save him much annoyance, much trouble, 
many dollars. It perfectly defines his rights and dnties,— The Teachers'" 
World. 

The revision of Bardeen's School Law is a practical text-book and well 
•worth a place in every teacher's working library. It is progressive, well 
up to date, and sufficiently comprehensive. The author has kept well iu 
mind the needs of the average teacher in his preparation for the State ex- 
aminations, and a careful study of the contents of the book will success- 
fully prepare him to meet any of these tests. It comes within the reach of 
every teacher however limited his salary.— TT^''.^. Benedict, Elmira, President 
New York Grammar School Principals' Association. 



STANDARD TEACHERS' LIBRARY. Nos. 19, 20, 21, 31, 32, 45, 56, 47, etc, 

Tbe New York Uniform Question BooIls. 

New York requires that no jiuhlic school teacher shall he licensed except 
after passing one of the regular stated examinations upon the questions pre- 
pared by the State Department at Albany, and sent out from there, being 
UNIFOKM/or- the entire State. 

Never before were questions subjected to such previous tests as these. 
New York has a State Examining Board, made up of the Institute Instruc- 
tors, the Inspectors of Teachers' Classes, and the Examinations Clerk. 
These are all high-salaried men— the best the State is able to find at $2,500 
and $3,000 a year. The subjects are divided up among these men, and each 
prepares on his own topic the best set of questions he can make. Then the 
sets of questions are discussed by the entire board, every possible criticism 
of the individual questions and of the set of questions as a whole being sug- 
gested and discussed in open meeting. Finally the questions thus amended 
and approved are submitted to the State Superintendent for his inspection. 

They may reasonably be called Standard Questions for the Examination 
of Teachers ; and they have a special advantage in that they are graded. 

Ours are the only complete editions of these Questions with Answers, 
and are as follows : 

1. The New York Question Book, with all the Questions of the Uniform, 
State, Cornell University Scholarship, and Normal School Entrance Exam- 
inations to March 31, 1890, ivith Answers to the Uniform Questions. 8vo. pp. 
461. Cloth, $2.00 ; manilla, $1.00. 

2. The same. Supplement No.'l, April, 1890, to June, 1891, 8vo., pp. 163 ; 
No. 2, Aug., 1891, to June, 1892, 8vo, pp. 139. Each in manilla, 25 cents. 
Both in one volume, cloth, uniform with the New York Question Book, $1.00. 

The number of Questions in these three volumes is as follows : algebra, 
339 ; American history, 733 ; arithmetic, 958 ; astronomy, 100 ; book-keep- 
ing, 220 ; botany, 123 ; chemistry, 110 ; civil government, 674 ; composition, 
207; current topics, 548 ; drawing, 499; French, 30; general history, 143; 
geography, 984 ; geology, 109 ; geometry, 199 ; German, 30 ; grammar, 1046; 
Latin, 195 ; literature, 160 ; methods, 549 ; penmanship, 61 ; physics, 240 ; 
physiology, 707 ; reading, 83 ; rhetoric, 64 ; school economy, 91 ; school 
law, 228 ; zoOlogy, 120— Total, 9,460. 

3. The same. Uniform Questions and Ansivers only. Supplements No. 3, 
Aug., 1892, to June, 1893 ; No. 4, Aug., 1893 to June, 1894 ; No. 5, Aug., 1894 
to June, 1895; iVo. 6, Aug., 1895, to June, 1896; iVo. 7, Aug., 1896, to June, 1897; 
No. 8, Aug. 1897, to June, 1898; No. 9, Aug.. 1898 to June, 1899; No. 10, Aug., 
1899 to June, 1900. Each, cloth, $1.00 ; manilla, 50 cts. 

4. The same, the Questions and Ansivers in Drawing from August, 18g2, 
to June, 1896. The same, Aug. 1896 to June 1899. Each, cloth, $1.00, 
manilla, 50 cts. 

5. The same, the Questions and Answers in (a) Algebra; (b) American 
History; (c) Arithmetic; (d) Art of Questioning and History of Education; 
(€) Book-Keeping; (/) Civil Government; (g) Geography ; (h) Grammar; 
(i) Methods and School Economy; (/t) Physics; (I) Physiology; (m) School 
Law. Each, manilla. 25 ct-s. 



THE SCHOOL BULLETIN PUBLICATIONS- 



Helps for the Uniform Examinations 

The best helps in all subjects are the questions themselves already- 
given, with the answers, elsewhere advertised. Other special helps in each 
subject are as follows: 

American history.— For rapid review, to fix the outlines in mind, 
get Williams's "Topics and References" (50 cts.), or Godard's 
" Outlines " (50 cts.). Remember that there are always questions in 
New York State history, for which the only books are Prentice's 
($1.50) and Hendrick's (75 cts.). 

Arithmetic— BradioTLVs "30 Problems in Percentage" (25 cts.) 
and Bassett's "Latitude, Longitude, and Time" (25 cts.) may carry 
you through where you otherwise would fail. 

Geography.— ThevG. are always questions on New York State 
geography; get Bardeen's "Geography of the Emire State" (75 
cts.). The " Regents' Questions in Geography", with answers (50 
cts.), is excellent. 

Grammar.— 'Shu questions are all upon the old lines of straight 
grammar. Take a thorough drill in Kiddle's " 3000 Grammar Ques- 
tions and Answers " ($1.00). He was editor of Brown's grammar. 

Orthography.— Sdnford's "Limited Speller" (25 cts.) contains 
every word ever given at these examinations, and does not waste 
your time on words not likely to be given. 

Physiology.— Yon will get help from the two Dime Question 
Books, "Physiology", and "Stimulants and Narcotics" (lOcts. each). 

School Late— The only book is Bardeen's " Manual of School 
Law ", cloth $1.00; paper 50 cts. 

Civil Government.— Get Northam's "Civil Government for Com- 
mon Schools " (75 cts.). It is the only adequate New York book. 

Current Topics.— The best preparation is the Current Topics 
given in The School Bulletin, $1.00 a year, 10 cts. a number, For 
each examination get the three proceding numbers, sent for 25 cts. 

Drawing. — Get Greene's " Perspective " (50 cts.). 

Methods and School Economy.— Get DeGraff's "School Room 
Guide", and Landon's "School Management ", each, cloth, $1.50; 
paper, 50 cts. 

Advanced English.— Bnvdeen's " Outlines of Sentence Making " 
(60 cts.) gives just the preparation for this subject. 

Algebra.— Get Michael's "Algebra for Beginners" (75 cts.). 

Book- Keeping. — The " Dime Question Book of Book-Keeping " 
(10 cts.) will very likely carry you through. 

History of Education.— WUUiims's " History of Modern Educa- 
tion " ($1.. 50) is much the best book, and answers the questions on 
education in New York. 

P^y«ic5.— The " Dime Question Book of Physics" (10 cts.) will 
be of much help. 



■THE SCHOOL BULLETIN- PUBLICATIONS. 



Special Books for Eegents' Schools. 

1. The Regents' Questions in Arithmetic, Geography, Grammar, and 
Spelling from the first examination in 1866 to June, 1882. {No questions of 
later date wUl be printed.) Being the 11,000 Questions for the preliminary 
examination for admission to the University of the State of New York, 
prepared by the Kegents of the University, and participated in simultane- 
ously by more than 250 academies, forming a basis for the distribution of more 
than a million of dollars. Complete with Key. Cloth, 16mo, pp. 473. S2.00. 

2. Complete. The same as above but without answers. Pp.340. $1.00. 

B. Separately. The same, each subject by itself, all Manilla, 16mo.: 
Aj^thmetic, 1293 Questions, pp. 93, 25 cts. Geography, 1987 Questions, pp. 

70, 25 cts. G7'ammar, 2976 Questions, pp. 100, 25 cts. Spelling, 4800 Words, 
pp. 61, 25 cts. Keys to Arithmetic, Geography, and Grammar, each 25 cts. 

These are of course an indispensable preparation for the Regents' Ex- 
aminations, and have been used for twenty years in most Regents' schools. 

A. Regents' Selections in Literature. Selections for Repetition from 
Memory at the Examinations conducted by the Regents of the University of 
the State of New York, in connection with the courses of American, German, 
and French Literature. Leatherette, 16mo, pp. 56, 25 cts. Each separate, 
paper, 10 cts. 

These selections were ofl5cially prepared in the Regents' office, and pub- 
lished under the direction of Mr. James Russell Parsons, jr. Besides their 
special purpose, they will be found admirable for use in classes. 

5. Outlines of English Literature. By Blanche R. Daniels. Cloth, 16mo, 
pp. 50, interleaved for notes. 60 cts. 

This has been prepared especially for Regents' classes, and follows the 
Syllabus closely. It contains h9 portraits, y^'VOa. '&\eXG\iQ^, critical notes, etc., 
and while invaluable for its special purpose, will also be found of great 
utility in all literature classes. 

6. Review Problems in Arithmetic for Schools under the supervision of 
the Regents. By Mrs, Jennie B. Pbentice, Paper, 16mo, pp. 93, 20 cts. Key, 
25 cts. 

7. Review Questions in Geography for Schools under the supervision of 
the Regents. By Mrs. Jennie B. Prentice, Paper, l6mo, pp. 48. 15 cts. 

These books have been prepared to supplement the published books of 
Regents' Questions, and afford an admirable drill in these subjects. Not a 
single problem in the first can be found in any published arithmetic, and 
very few questions in geography have ever been asked by the Regents that 
are not to be found in the second . 

8. Elementary English. Prepared with reference to the Regents' Ex- 
aminations in the State of New York. By John D. Wilson. Leatherette, 
16mo, pp. 50. 35 cts. 

This contains among other things all the work in Etymology required by 
the last Regents' Syllabus. 

9. A Vocabulary of C mar's Gallic War, Book II. By George M. Smith. 
Cloth, 16mo, pp. 69. 50 cts. 

10. Conspiracy of the Helvetians. Five chapters of Caesar's Gallic War. 
For use in First- Year Latin Classes, especially in Regents' Schools, Con- 
taining Special Vocabulary, Exercises in Latin Composition, Idioms, and Ir- 
re^ilar Comparisons, with Suggestions for Study, By a High School Teacher. 
Paper, lOmo. pj). 20. 10 cts. 

C. W. BARDEEN, Publisher, Syracuse, N. Y. 



School Bulletin Publications 



NOTE.— Binding is indicated as follows : B boards, C cloth, L leatlierette, 
M manUla, P paper. Size as follows : 8:416 indicates 8vo,pp. U16; 12:393 in- 
dicates 12mo, 2iP- 393 ; 16:389 indicates 16mo, pp. 3S9. Numbers preceding the 
binding and size give the pages in the Trade Sale catalogue of 1898 on which 
the books are described, the fullest description being placed first. Books 
preceded by a dagger (t) are selected by the State Superintendent of Public 
Instruction for the New York Teachers' Librai-y. 

Books starred may be had also in the Standard Teachers' Library, 
manilla binding, at 50 cts. each. Unless expressly ordered to be sent in this 
binding, such volumes are always sent in cloth. 

A DAY of My Life, or Everyday Bx])eriences at Eton. 15 C 16:184. ... $1 00 
Ackerman (Mrs. M. B.) Iteview Questions to accompany Hend/ick''s His- 
tory of the Empire State. 58 P \2Af> 05 

Adams. Wall Map of tlie State of New York, 68x74 inches, 46 C 5 00 

Ahn (F.) Method of Learning the Dutch Language. 43 C 12:135 1 35 

Aids to School Discipline. 60, 58 Per box 47 1 25 

Supplied separately; per 100 Merits, 15 cts.; Half Merits, 15 cts.; 
Cards, 15 cts.; Checks, 40 cts.; Certificates, 50 cts. 

Alden (Joseph). First Frincipiles of Political Economy. 51 C 16:153 75 

Aldis (Mary E.) The Great Giant Arithmos. A most Elementary 

Arithmetic. C 16:234 1 00 

Alexandrow (P.) Method of Learning Russian. 43 C 12:135, $1.25; A'ey 25 

Arabic Self -Taught. 43 C 12:104 1 25 

Arnold (Matthew). Reports on Eletnentary Schools, lSo2-18S2. C 16:318. 2.00 

(Thomas). * Stanley's Life of, J. S. Carlisle. 18 C 16:252 1 00 

Ascham (Roger), Sketch of, by R. H. Quick. 18 P 16:55 15 

* Biography, by Samuel John§on. 18 C 10:252 1 00 

Complete Works. 18 C 16:321, 273, 376, 374 4 vols 5 00 

Attendance Blanks /or use tinder the Compulsory Law of N. Y. (a) 
First Notice to Parents; {b) Second Notice to Parents ; (c) Notice to 
Attendance Officer. Manilla, 4x9, pp. 100 each. Per dozen, each. 2 00 
* t Authors' Birthday Exercises. First Series : Poe, Longfellow, 
Reed, Irving, Walt Whitman, Mrs. Stowe, Hawtliorne, Holmes, 
Cooper, Bancroft, Bryant, Whittier. 50 portraits and illustration, 

42 C 16:320 1 00 

* Second Series, Bayard Taylor, Lowell, Ilowells, Motley, Emerson, 

Saxe, Thoreau, E. S. Phelps-Ward, Parkman, Cable, Aldrich, 

Joel Chandler Harris. 44 portraits. 16:459 1.00 

Game of Fireside Authors, 52 cards, with Portraits. 42 35 

Young Folks' Favorite Authors, 52 cards, with Portraits. 42 35 

Game of Poems Illustrated, 52 cards, with Pictures 35 

BALL. (J. W.) 1000 Questions-and-Answers in Drawing. 52 L 16:67 40 

Instruction in Citizenship. L 12:63 40 



Ballard (Addison) Arrows, or Teaching as Fine Art. C 12:100 $ 75 

(Harlan H) * Pieces to SpeaJc. 39 C 16: 192 100 

The same, Parts I and V, each P 16:40 15 

Barbera (Piero). Educational Publications in Italy. 15, 29, P 8:14 15 

Bardeen (C. R.) Infection and Immunity . P 8:20 25 

(C. W.) * Manual of School Law. 54, 51, 53, 56, C 16:276 1 00 

t Geography of the Empire State. 45, 53, 56 C 8:120 75 

Outlines of Sentence- Making. 12:187 (50 

f Verbal Pitfalls. A manual of 1500 misused words. 36,21016:223.. 75 

* t Roderick Hume. The Story of a New York Teacher. 54, 13, 15, C 

16:295 1 25 

* Commissioner Hume, A Story of New York Schools. C 16:210 1 25 

The Little Old Man, or the School for Illiberal Mothers. 13 C 16:31 .. . 50 

Teaching as a Busitiessfor Men. 29 P 8:20 25 

The Teacher's Commercial Value. 29 P 8:20 25 

TJie Teacher as He Should Be. 29 P 8:24 25 

Fitting Teachers to Places. P 16:70 25 

*\ Teaching as a Business. The above four addresses in one vol- 
ume. C 16:154 1 00 

The Tax-Payer and the Township System. 29 P 8:20 25 

^ome Problems of City School Management. P 8:16 25 

Effect of the College- Preparatory High School. 28, 29 P 8 :5 15 

History of Educational Journalism in Xew Yoi'k. 15, 29, 53 P 8:45. . . 40 

The Song Budget. 60 P small 4:76 15 

The Song Century. 60 P small 4:87 15 

The Song Patnot. 60 P small 4:80 15 

The Song Budget Series Combined. 60 C small 4:250 50 

Dim^ Question Books of Temperance Physiology, Book-Keeping, Let- 
ter-Writing. 41,56. Each 10 

Barnard (Henrj'). American Journal of Education. Vols. I-XIII, XVI, 

XVII, XXIII, XXIX. Each, Ilalf-turkey, 8: about 800 5 50 

Letters, Essays, Thoughts on Studies and Conduct. C 8:552 3 50 

■]■ Kindergarten and Child Culture Papers, etc. C 8:784 3 50 

American Pedagogy. C 8:510 3 50 

Milita7'y Systems of Education. C 8:960 5 50 

The EdH Labors of by Will S. Monroe. 18 L 16:35 .50 

(M.) Oral Training Lessons. 40 C 12:136 75 

Basedow (J. E.) Sketch of by R. II. Quick. P 16:18 15 

Bassett (.J. A.) Latitude, Longitude, and Time. 35, 32, 45, 56 M 16:42. . 25 

Bates (S. P.) Methods of Teachers' Institutes. 31 C 12:76 60 

Batsdorf (J. B.) The Management of Country Schools. 29, 30 P 8:33 20 

Beebe (Levi N.) First Stejys arruong Figures. 33, 32 C 16:326 1 00 

Pupil's Edition. C 16:140 45 

Beesau (Amable). The Spirit of Education. C 16:325, and Portrait 1 25 

Bell (Andrew). An Old Educational Reformer. 18 C 10:182 1 00 

Bennett (C. W.) National Education in Europe. 29 P 8:28 15 

History of the Philosophy of Pedagogics. 15 L 16:43 50 

Benton (Emily E.) The Happy Method in Number. 32 C 8:96 75 

(2) 



Bible in the Public Schools, Cincinnati case, P 24:214, 233 $ 50 

Binner (Paul). Old Stories Retold. 36, 13 B 10:04 , '. 25 

Blackman (O.) Graded Songs for Day ScJwols. P 10:39 10 

* Birkbeck ((ieorge). The Pioneer of Popular Education. Memoir of, 

by J. G. Godard, C 16:258 ' j 50 

Blakely (W. A.) Chart of Parliamentary Rules. 37 P 16:4 25 

Blodgett, (A. B.) The Relationofa Princijoal to the Community. P 8:19. 25 
Bradford (W. II.) Thirty Possible Problems in Percentage. 32, 56 M 16:34. 25 

Briggs (F. 11 .) Boys and Ilotv to Re-Make them. 29, 31 P 8:24 25 

Industrial Training in Reformatory Institutions. 29 P 16:28 25 

Bristol (II. C.) Honesty Cards in Arithmetic. 35 50 cards, 3x41.^ 50 

Brown (I. H.) Popular Speaker. P 12:180 25 

Browne (M. Frances). A Glimpse of Grammar-Land. 36, 38 P 8:24. ... 15 

Browning, (Oscar). A Short History of Education. 15 C 16:105 50 

*Buckham (II. B.) Handbook for Young Teachers. 21, 30, C 16:152. 75 
^Buffalo Examination Questions. 59 1st 4 Years : 1892-6, 52 C 16:318 1 00 

Bugbee (A. G.) Exercises in English Syntax. 41 L 16:85 35 

Key to the same. L 16:36 35 

Bulletin Spelling Pads, 70 paj?es. Each 15 

Absence Record. 58 L pp. 400. llxllj^ 3 00 

Book-Keeping Blanks. Press-board, 7x8J^, pp. 28. Each 15 

Composition Book. M 8:44 15 

Class Register. 58 Press-board cover. Three Sizes, (a) 6x7, for 

terms of 20 weeks ; or (b) 5x7, for terms of 14 weeks Pp. 48 25 

(c) Like {b) but with one-half more (72) pages 35 

Pencil Holder., numbered for 60 pupils. 64 2 00 

Ink- Well Filler, holding one quart. 64 1 25 

Number Fan. 35 11x15 inches 1 oo 

Burnham (W. P.) Duties of Outposts U. S. Army. C 24:171 50 

Burritt (J. L.) Penmanship in Public Schools. P 12:62, and chart 60 

Burt (Mary E.) Bees ; a Study from Virgit . For 7th Grade Reading. 

P. 16:15 15 

Butler (Nicholas Murray). The Place of Comenius. 27, 19 P 16:20 15 

* CADET (Felix). Port-Royal Education. C 16:300 1 50 

Caesar's Conspiracy of the Helvetians. 57 P 16:20 10 

Canfield (.James H.) Rural Higher Education. 28, 29 P 8:24 15 

*t Carlisle (J. 8.) Two Great Teachers, Ascham and Arnold. 18 016:252. 1 CO 

Catalogue of Rare Looks on Pedagogy. P 24:58 06 

, Trade Sale, 1898, of School Bulletin Publications. P 8:64 06 

Cheney (P.) A Globe Manual for Schools. 45 P 16:95 25 

♦Civil Service Question Book. 44 C 16:282 1 50 

Clarke (Noah T.) Chart of U. S. History. 49P8J^x]2. Each 5c.; per doz. 50 

Code of Public Instruction, New York, 1888. 51, 53 L 8:1075, net 2 50 

Colored Crayon, for Blackboard, per box of one dozen, nine colors.. . 25 

Collins (Henry). The Internatiotial Date Line. 35, 33, 45 P 16:15 15 

Comenius (John Amos). Orbis Pictus. 19 C 8:232 3 00 

* t Lifeand Educational Works, by S. S. Laurie. 19, 18 C 16:272 1 CO 

Sketch of, by R. H. Quick. P 10:25. (See also Butler, Maxwell). . . . 15 

Portrait of, 63 P 22x28 1 C d 

<3) 



Cloiufort (George F.) Modern Lcnguages in Education. 28, 29 P 16;'4<i..$ 2^ 
(Geo. F. and Anna M.) Woman's Education and Wojnan's Health ;' 

chiejlij in rvphj to "' »Se.r in Education ". C 1G:155 1 (X) 

Constitution of the State of New York. P 1G:G3 10 

Cooper (Oscar l\.) Compulsory Laws and their Enforcement. 29 P 8:6. . 15 

Craig ( A. R.) 'I he Philosophy of Training. C 12:377 2 00 

Crain (J. II.) 70 Review Lessons in Geography. 45 P 1G:G0 25 

Cube Koot Blocks, carried to 3 places. 35 1 00 

Cyclopaniia of Education. 14 C8:5G2 3 75 

DALY (D.) Adventures of Roger L' Estrange. C 12:301 2 00 

Daniels (Blanche R.) Outlines of English Literature. 42, 57 C 12:102 50 

Danish and ]S"orweg:ian Conversation Book (See also Lund). 43 C 24:128 75 

Davis (^Y.W.) Suggestions for Teaching Fractions. 35 P 1G:43 25 

Fractional Apparatus, in box. 35 (Not mailable) 4 00 

De Graff (E. V.) Practical PJionics. 36 C 16:108 75 

Pocket Pronunciation Book. 38 M 16 :47 15 

* t The School-Room Guide. 22, 30. 31, 56 C 16:405 1 50 

— =^ f Development Lessons. C 8:301. 1 50 

■ The School-Room Chorus. 60 B small 4:147 35 

Calisthenics and Disciplinary Exercises. 37 M 16:39 25 

* t De Guimps (Ro<rer). Pestalozzi, his Aim and Work. 20, 18 C 12:331 1 50 

Denominational Schools. Discussion of 1889. 29 P 8:71 25 

Dickinson (John W.) The Limits of Oral Teaching. 27, 40 P 1G:24 15 

Diehl (Anna Randall-). A Practical Delsarte Primer. 36,37 16:66.... 50 

Dime Question Books. See Southwick. 

Diplomas, printed to order froin any design furnished. Specimens sent. 

I 61 (a) Bond paper, 14x17, for 25 or fewer 5 00 

"50 6 50 

' (&) '' " 16x20,'" 25 or fewer 5 50 

" " 50 7 25 

(c) Parchment, 15x20, " 1 3 50 

Each additional copy 75 

Donaldson (James). Lectures on Education. 15 C 16:185 1 00 

Dudevant (A.) French and English Commercial Correspondence. 44 C 

12:107 50 

Durham ( W. H.) Carleton Island in the Revolution. 13 C 16:128 1 00 

EDUCATION as Viewed by Thinkers. 27, P 16:47 15 

* Intellectual, Moi'al, and Physical, Herbert Spencer. 24, C 16:331.. 1 00 

for the People, in America, Europe, India, and Australia. 15 C 8:176. 1 25 

Edwards (A. M.) Graded Lessons in Language. Nos. 1-6. 41 P 8:80, 

each per dozen • 1 00 

.'00 Every Day Business Problems in Arithmetic. 34, 35 500 cards, 

l?4x3>^,with Key 50 

',00 Pertinent Questions in Civics, with Answers. 51, P 16:54 15 

TJie same, with Questions on 250 slips of cardboard, in box. 51.. . 50 

Historical Game, ''Our Coun try'\ 50 100 cards, 2i4x3%. 31 50 

(4) 



Edwards (A. M.) Historical Cards. 50, 49 314x514. 

(a) General History. 200 cards $1 00 

(6) United Slates History, Part I. 92 cards 50 

(c) United States History, Part II. 108 cards 50 

{d) United States History, Complete. 200 cards 1 00 

Outline and Topic Book in U.S. History. P8;213 50 

Geographical Game, " Our Country"". 47, 46 100 cards, 214x8% 50 

' Geographical Cards. 47, 46 syixj}^. 

(a) Part I. Physical Geography and North America. 100 cards 50 

(J)) Part II. The Rest of the World. 100 cards 50 

(c) Comple'e. 200 cards 100 

■ * Topical Questions in Geography, with Regents' Questions 1894-6. 

45 C 16:211 1 00 

Emerson(A. W.) Composition and Criticism. 41 L 16:82 40 

(H. S.) Latin in High Schools. 28 P 16:30 25 

t Essays on the Kindergarten. 20,23012:175 1 00 

Evans (W. M ) A Manned of Grammar. C 16:126 75 

FAKNHAM (A. W.) + TJie Osivego Method of Teaching Geography. 45 

C 16:127 50 

(Geo. L.) The Sentence Metliod of Beading. 36 C 16:55 50 

Felkin (H. M. and E., Translators.) HerharVs Letters and Lectures on 

Education. C 16:300 1 75 

Fette ( W. E.) Dialogues from Dickens. 38 C 16:335 1 00 

Fireside Authors, Game of, 52 cards with Portraits 35 

Fitch (Joshua G. ) The Art of Questioning. 26, 21, 27 P 16:36 15 

The Art of Securing Attention. 21, 27 P 16:43 15 

t Lectures on Teaching, Reading Club Edition. 14 C 12:436 1 25 

Fletcher (A. E ) Sonnenscliein's Cyclopaedia of Education. 14 C 8:562 3 75 
Foreign Languages. See pp. 43, 44 

Fowle(\Vm. B.) The Teachers' Institute. 310 12:238 100 

Fraction Play. A Game for Young Arithmeticians. 35 52 cards 2}4xd}4 ~5 
Franck (F.) The German Letter- W?iter, with the Forms of PoUte Cor- 
respondence, and English Explanatory Notes. 43 P 16:112 40 

♦Franklin (Benj.) Autobiography. 16:241 100 

Froebel ( Friedrich). t .4 utobiography of. 20, 18, 23 12:183 1 50 

Portrait. G3 P 22x28 25 

t Letters on the Kindergarten. 12:331 1 50 

GAINES (J. T. ) Principles of Teaching. 29 P 8:63 20 

Geometry Test Papers, by Wm. Smith. 35 Packages of 100, 81^x10. ... 1 00 

Geddes (Patrick). Industrial Exhibitions. P 16:.57 25 

German Self -Taught. (See also Franck, Hahn, Meissner). 43 P 16:87 40 

Gill ( r<)hn). School Management. 14, 30 16:276 1 00 

Globes. See page 46. 

Godard (George G.) George Birkbeck, the Pioneer of Popular Educa- 
tion. C 1 6 :258 1.50 

(Harlow). An Outline Study of U. S. History. 48, 56 L 16:146 50 

Goethe (T. F. von). Egmont, with English Notes. 43 16:140 40 

Gore (J. Howard). Manual of Parliamentary Practice. 37,36 16:112. 50 

(5) 



Goulding: (Matilda P.) Flores : A Botanical Game. 40 48 cards, 

2^8X3^ $ 50 

Gowdy (Jean L ) Ideals and Prvgranwies. C 16:100 , 75 

Granger (Oscar). Metric Tables and Problems. 32 M 16:23 25 

Grant (James). History of the Burgh Schools of Scotland. 15 C 8:591 3 00 

Grasby (W. Catton). t Teaching in Three Continents. 15 12:344 1 50 

Gray (Thos. J.) Methods and Courses in Xortnal Schools. 29 P 8:19 15 

Griffin (Ida L.) Topical Geography, with Metliods. 45 L 12:142 50 

Griffith (Geo.) Outline Blackboard Maps. 46. Per set 8 00 

Groszmann (M. P. E.) t .1 Working Maimal of Child Stvdy. 26 C 16:75 50 
The Common School and The New Education. P 16:46 25 

HAHN(F.) The Child's German Book. 43 P 16:87 40 

Hailmann (\V. N.) Primary Kindergarten Helps. 23, 20 B 8:58 75 

Sketches from the History of Education. 15, 29 P 8:39 20 

Hall (Marcella W.) Orthoepy Made Easy. 36 C 16:100 75 

Hamilton Declamation Quarterly. Vol. I. (all published). 38, 36 C 

10:337 1 00 

Harlow (W. B.) Early English Literature. 42 C 16:138 75 

Harris (W. T.) t Natural Science in the Public Schools. 40 L 16:60 50 

t Art Education The True Industrial Education. 29 L 16:77 50 

Harris (W.T.) Hoi'ace Mann. L 16:50 50 

The Theory of Education. 27 P 16:54 15 

The Educational Value of Manual Training. 29, P 8:14 15 

University and School Extension. 29 P 8:12 15 

Tiie General Government and Public hducation. 29 P 8:8 15 

Report on Pedagogical and Psychological Observation. 29, 25 P 8:6. . . 15 

Heermans (Forbes), Stories of the Ear West. C 16:260 1 25 

Hegner (II. F.) The Young Scientist. A Supplementary Reader. 

C 16:189 50 

*Helps to Self-Culture. C 10:241 1 00 

Hendrick (Mary F.) Questions in Literature. 42 B 16:100 35 

(W.) "■ The Table is Set.'' A Comedy for Schools. 38,36 16:30... 15 

1 B/^ef History of the Empire State. 48, 53. 56 C 13:218 75 

Pevieiv Questions for New York History. 58 P 16:16 05 

Syllabuses of U. S. History, for Pegents' Examinations. 49, 58perdoz. 50 

Hennig (Carl V.) Anatomical Manikin. 37 :SI 8:18 1 00 

Herbart (J. F ) Letters and Lectures on Education. C 16:.300 1 75 

Hinsdale (B. A.) Pedagogical Chairs in Colleges 29 P 8:11 15 

Schools and Studies. C 12:362 1 50 

Hcose (James II.) Studies in Articulation. 36 C 16:70 50 

t On the Province of Methods of Teaching 31 C 16:376 1 00 

Pestalozzian First- Year Arithmetic. 33, 20, 32 B 16:217 50 

Pupils' Edition. B 16:156 35 

Second Year Arithmetic. B 16:2.36 50 

Hornstone Slating, the best crayon surface made. 62, per gallon — 8 00 

Slated Paper, per square yard (if by mail, 60 cts.) 63 hO 

Hoss(fteo.H.) Memory Gems. 38, 36 P 16:40 15 

Hotchkiss (Viala P.) Lessons in OI)ject Drawing. 52 L 4:82 50 

(6) 



Houghton (\V. n.) Political Conspectus of U. S. History. 49 C 18x91. . .$2 00 

Hughes (James L.) ^ Mistak'^s in Teaching. 27,30,0 16:135 50 

t IIoiv to Secure and Retain Attention. 27 C 16:98 50 

* The Teacher's Critic, containing both the above. 27 C 16:235 1 00 

Huntington (Rt. Rev. F. D.) Unconscious Tidtion. 21, 27 P 16:45 15 

Hutton (II. H.) ,1 Manual of Mensuration. 35, 32 B 16:168 50 

INTERLINEAR German Reading-Book, Hamiltonian Method. 

43 12:88 75 

Irving ( Washington). Bip Van Winkle, with Barley's Illustrations. P 16:35. 15 

Italian and English Commercial Correspondence. 44 P 12:90 50 

Italian Self -Taught. (See also Marchetti). 43, 44 P 16:80 40 

JACKSON (E. P.) Class Record Cards. 58 90 white and 10 colored 

cards 50 

Jacotot (Joseph). Sketch of, by R. H. Quick. P 16:28 15 

Jennings (A. C.) Chronological Tables of Ancient History. 48 C 8:120... 1 00 

Jewell (F. S.) Grammatical Diagrams. 41 C 12:207 75 

Johnson's Chart of Astronomy. 46 On enamelled cloth, 40x46 inches.. 3 50 

Jones (Richard). The G70wth of the Idyls of the King. C 12:161 1 50 

Juliand (Anna M.) Brief Views of U. S. History. 48 L 16:69 35 

KAROLY (Akin). ^ T he Dilemmas of Labor aiid Education. C 12:77... 100 

Kay (David) . t Education and Educators. C 12:490 2 00 

Keller (C.) Monthly Report Cards. 58 234x4 inches, Per hundred 100 

Kennedy (John). The Philosojyhy of School Discipline. 27, 30,31 P 16:23. 15 

Must Greek Go ? 28 L 16:66 50 

Kiddle (Henry) SfiOO Grammar Questions, with Answers 41, 56 C 16:220. 1 00 

tKindergarten Essays. 23 C 12:175 1 00 

Knott (E. E.) The Ready Reference Law Manual. 51 C 8:381 2 00 

Kotelmann (Ludwlg.) School Hygiene. Translated by J. A. Berg- 

strom. C 16:300 1 50 

*tL,ANDON (Jos ) School Management. 30 C 16:376 1 25 

The Science and Art of Questioning. C 16:120 50 

Lane ( Fred H.) Elementary Greek Education. 15 L 16:85 50 

*+Laurie (S. S.) John Amos Comenius 19, 18 C 16:272 1 00 

Lawrence (E. C.) Recreations in Ancient Fields. C 12-177 1 00 

Lees (James T.) The Claims of Greek. 28 P 8:16 25 

Lenstrom (C.) Easy Method of Learning Swedish. 43 C 12:160 1 50 

Lessing (G. E.) German Fables in Prose and Verse. 43 B 12:68 40 

Loclie (John). ^.^e^cAo/", by R. TI. Quick. P 10:27 15 

Lowrie (R. W.) How to obtain Greatest Benefit from a Book. 42 P 8:12. . 25 
Lund (II.) M^^thod of Learning Danish and Norwegian. 12:135, $1.25: /vV?/ 25 
Lyttleton (E.) The Problem of Home Training. 31 C 12:200 '. 1 50 

MAC ALPINE (Neil). Enqlish-Gcflic and Gcelic-English Dictionary. 

(See also Stewart). 43 C 12:669 3 00 

M'Cully's Perforated Erasers. 63. Per doz 1 00 

*lVface (W. H.) A Workinr/ Manual of American History. 480 16:297... 100 
McCosh (James). \ Higher Education and a Common Language. 28 

8:120 75 

McKay (John S.) 100 Expenments in. Natural Science. P 16:50 15 

(7) 



* Mann (Horace), Thoughts for a Young Man. C 16:241 $ 1 00 

Sketch of, bj' W. T. Harris. L 16:50 50 

Maps for the Wall. See page 46. 

Maps, Belief Maps. Switzerland. 46, 44 llxlTJ^, S3.50; 23x34, $10.00. 

Palestine 22x35 10 00 

Griffith's Outline Blackboard Maps. 46 Per set 8 00 

31aps. Dissected Maps. United States sawn into States 75 

The Same, New York State sawn into Counties 75 

Onondaga County. 46 Cloth, 4x4^ feet 10 00 

Xeio York State. 46 Cloth, 61x76 inches 5 0( 

Outline Maps (6x9) of New York. 45. Per pad of 50 15 

Political Maps. See page 46. 

Marble (A. P.) Powers of School Officers. 51 P 16:27 13 

Marchetti (G.) Method of Learning Italian. 43, 44 C 12:218, §1.20; Key. . 35 

Italian Reader, with English Notes. 44 12:128 75 

Itcdian and English Idiomatic Phrases and Dialogues. C 24:165 75 

Marenholtz-Buelow (Baroness) School Work-shop. 27 P 16:27 15 

1 Child and Child Nature. Froebel's Ed 1 Theories. 20,23,25 012:207. 1 50 

Maudsley (H.) Sex in Mind and Education. 25, 27 P 16:42 15 

Maxwell ( W. H.) Examinations as Tests for Promotion. 29 P 8:11 15 

7Ii.e Text-Books of Comenius, cuts from Orbis Pictus. 19 8:24 35 

Meese (John D.) Facts in Literature. 42 P 16:38 15 

31eiklejohn (J. M. D ) The Neiv Education . 20, 23, 27 L 16:47 50 

An Old Educational Reformer (Dr. Andrew Bell.) 18 C 16:182 1 00 

Meissner (M.) Method of Learning German. 43 C 12:238 1 25 

Michael (O. S.) Algebra for Beginners. 35, 56 C 16:120 .'.... 75 

* Michigan, Government Class Book of Nichols, C 16:308 1 00 

Mill (John Stuart) Inaugural Address at St. Andretos. 29 P 8:31 25 

Miller (Warner). Education as a BepH of Government. 29 P 8:12 15 

Mills (C. De B.) The Tree of Mythology. C 8:281 3 00 

Milne (James M.) Teachers'' Institutes., Past and Present 15 P 8:22 25 

Milton (John). A Small Tractate of Education 27, 28 P 16:26 15 

Sketchof, byR. H. Quick. P 16:55 15 

Mljixites of the International Congress of Education, 1884. 28 C 12:4 vols. 5 00 

Missouri, Civil Government of, Northam. 51 C 16:151 75 

Monroe (Will S.) + Labors of Henry Barnard. 18, L 16:35 50 

Morey (Amelia). Outline, of Work in Elementary Language. 41 C 16:139. 50 

Mottoes for the School Room. 7x14. Per set 1 00 

NEW YORK Question Book, with all the Questions of the Uniform, 
State, Cornell, Scholarship, and Normal Entrance Examinations, 
to March 31, 1890, ivith Answers. 56 8:461. P $1.00 ; C 2 00 

TJie same. Supplement No. 1 , to June, 1891. 56 M 8:63 25 

7' he same. Supplement No. 2, to June, 1892. 56 M 8:139 25 

The same. Supplements Nos. 1 and 2, in one volume. C 8:202 1 00 

New York Uniform Questions 

* The same. Uniform only. Supplements No. 3, 1892-3 ; No. 4, 1893-4 ; 

No. 5, 1894-5; No. 6, 1895-6; No. 7, 1896-7; No. 8, 1897-8; 56, each C. . . . 1 00 
(8) 



New York Uniform Questions 

* The same, Questions in Drawing, 1893-96. C 16:221. 1896-98. 16:192. 

300 illustrations, 52. 56, each $1 00 

T'^esrtm^, Questions in Algebra, Book-keeping, Physics. 56 M 16:65. 25 

The same. Questions in American History. 56 M 16:78 25 

The same, Questions in Arithmetic. 32, 56 M 16:49 25 

The same, t Questions in Civil Gov't, and School Law, 56 M. 16:92.. 25 

The same. Questions in Geography. 45, 56 M 16:73 25 

The same, tQuestions in Gramnfar. 56 M 16:75 — , 25 

The same. Questions in Methods and School Economy. 56 M 16:65. 25 

The same. Questions in Physiology. 56 M 16:69 25 

^ * State Examination Questions to 1894. C 16:402 1 00 

The satne, for 1895, 96, 97, 98, each P 16:32 10 

The Questions in Book-lceeping , with Answers. 56 P 16:31 10 

Oeograph y of the Empire State. 42, 51 , 52 C 8:120 75 

Histoid of the Empire State, Ilendrick. 48, 53, 56 C 12:203 75 

Civil Government of the State of, Northam. 58 51, 52 C 16:231 75 

Code of Public Instruction. Latest edition. 51, 53 L 8:1075 2 50 

Natural History, and Cabinet Reports. Write for information. 

* Nichols (Chas. W.) Government Class-Book of the State of Michigan. 

C 16:308 1 00 

Northam (Henry C.) t Civil Government of N. Y. 53, 51, 56 C 16:231. . . 75 

The same for Missouri. 51 C 16:151 75 

Fixing the Facts of American History. 48 C 16:300 75 

Conversational Lessons Leading to Geography. P 16:39 25 

Northend (Chas.) Memoi^ Selections. Three Series. 38,36. Each.... 25 

* t The Teacher and Parent. C 16:350. 1 00 

Northrop (B. G.) High Schools. 28, 29 P 8:26 25 

Northrup (A. J.) Camps and Tramps in the Adirondacks. 13 C 16:302. 1 25 

Norwegian Self -Taught (See also Lund). 43 P 12:87 40 

Number Lessons. On card-board, 7x11, after the Grube Method 10 

Numeral Frames. 35 100 balls $1.25 ; 144 balls, $1.50. 

OSWALD (John). Dictionary of English Etymology. 41 C 16:806 2 00 

* 1- PAGE (David P.) The Theory and Practice of Teaching. 23,30,31 C 16:448 1 00 
(Mary H.) Graded Schools of the United States of America. C 

12:71 "^5 

Palmer (C. S.) Physiology Cards, for Teachers. 37 70 cards, 2i^x3i^. ... 50 

Pardon (Emma L.) Oral Instruction in Geography. 45 P 16:29 15 

Parsons (James Russell, jr.) + Prussian Schools. 15 C 8:91 1 00 

t French Schools through American Eyes. 15 C 8:130 1 00 

* Patrick (J. N.) Elements of Pedagogics. C 16:422 1 00 

Pedagogical Pebbles. C 16:96 50 

Pattee(F. L.) Literature in Public Schools. 29 P 8:48 20 

Payne (Joseph), t Lectures on the Art of Education. 14 C 16:281 1 00 

Payne (W.H.) A Short History of Education. 15 C 16:105 50 

• Peuniman (Ja. N.) Practical Suggestions in School Government. P. 

16:21 ^5 

(9) 



Perez (B.) The First Three Years of Childhood. 26, 2:3, 25 C 16:295. . . .$1 50 

Ti^'deviami's liecord of Infant Life. 27, 26 M 16:46 13 

Periodicals. The School D'Alttin. 12, 56 Monthly, 20-24 pp., 10x14. Per 

year 1 GO 

Bound VoLs. I-XXIV. C 4:200, 240 pp., each 2 00 

The Hamilton Declamation Quarterly. Bound volume I. 38 C 16:337. 1 00 

The School Boom. Bound volumes I-Y, Each 1 50 

Pestalozzi (J. H.) * t His Aim and Wo} k, De Guimps. 20, 18C 16:296. ... 1 50 

SMch of by n.U.i^mck. P 16:40. •. 15 

* t Ho2v Gertrude Teaches her Children. 20 C 16:400 1 50 

* Letters on Early Education. 20 C 16:180 1 00 

Pestalozzian Arithmetics. 20 B 1st Year. 16:217. 2d Year, 16:236. Each 50 

Portrait. 63, 20 P 22x28 25 

Pick (Dr. E.) Dr. Pick's French Method. 44 L 16:118 1 00 

Memory, and the Pational Means of Improving it. 25, 44 C 16:193 1 00 

Pitcher (James). Outlines of Surveying and Navigation. C 16:121, 50 

Plumb (Chas. G.) Ma}) Drawing of New T&rk. M 8:16 25 

Pooler (Chas. T.) Chart of Civil Government. 51, 53 P 12x18, per hun.... 5 00 

Hints on Teaching Orthoepy. 36 P 16:15 10 

Port-Royal Education. Extracts from the principal Writers with 

History and Introduction, by Felix Cadet. 16:300 1 50 

Preece (Mrs. Louise). Physical Cultwe. Illustrated. 37 C 4:292 2 00 

Prentice (Mrs. J. B.) Bevieiv Problems in Arithmetic. 57, 33 P 16:93. ... 20 

Key to the above. 57, 32 P 16:20 25 

Review Questions in Geography. 57, 45 P 16:48 15 

Primers of School Management and of Letter-Writing. 30 M pp. 45, 37. 

Each 25 

* QUICK (R. n.) Essays on Educational Reformers. 16, 15, 18 C 12:331.. 1 00 
BANDAL.L-DIEHL (Mrs. A nna). A Practical Delsarte Primer. 36 C 16:66 50 

Kask (E.) Easy Method of Learning Icelandic. 43 12:126 1 25 

Red way (J. W.) School Geography of Penuffylvania. 45 L 16:98 35 

Regents' Examination Paper. 58. Per 1,000 half-sheets 2 00 

Examination Record. 58. For 432 scholars, $3.00 ; 864 scholars. 6 00 

Examination Syllabus, in U. S. History. 49. 58. P per dozen 50 

First Year L.atin. Ccesar''s Conspiracy. 57 P 16:20 10 

Questions to June, 1882. 57 Eleven editions. 

1. Complete ivith Key. 57 <; 16:476 2 00 

2. Cmnplete. Same as above, but without the answers. Pp. 333... 1 00 

3. Arithm£tic. The 1,293 questions in Arithmetic. 32 M 16:93 25 

4. Key to Arithrretlc. Answers to the aboA'e. M 16:20 25 

5. Geography. The 1,987 questions in Geography. 56, 45 M 16:70.. 25 

6. Key to Geography. Answers to the above. M 16:36 25 

7. Grammar. The 2,976 questions in Grammar. M 16:109 25 

8. Grammar and Key. 41 C 16:198 1 00 

9. Key to Grammar. M 16:88 25 

10. Spelling The 4,800 words given in Spelling. M 16:61 25 

Entire Questions, all sub.iects (no answers), for years 1892-93, 93-94. 

94-05. 9.^1-06, 90-97, 97-98. 49 C 85:500. 57 Each 1 00 

Selections in Amsrican, German, and French Literature. .57, 42, 43, 44 

L 16:93. 25 cents. With music, .35 cts. Each language separate, P. 10 
(10) 



* T Rem (W.; Outlines of Pedagogics. 24 C 16:232 $1 25 

KeinhartuV.) Neglect of Bodily Development of American Youth. 37 

P8:l.j 25 

Richardson (B. W.) Learning and Health. 27 P 16:39 15 

* t Riddle (W.) Nicholas Comenins, or ye Pennsylvania Schoolmaster 

of ye Olden Time. C 16:492, 42 illustrations 1 50 

Robinson (A. H .) Numeral School Register. 58 M 2:16 25 

Rooper (T. G.) 1 Ajypej'ceiytion, or '' A Pot of Green Feathers'". 25 L 

16:59 50 

1 Object Teaching, or Words and Things. 40, 20 L 16:56 50 

Rosevear (Elizal)eth). t A Manual of Needlework, Knitting, and Cut- 
ting Out. 16:136 ; 60 

Rousseau (J. J.) Sketch of by R. H. Quick. P 16:;30 15 

Russian Conversation Book (See also Alexandrow). 43 C 24:130.. 75 

Ryan (G. W.) School Record. 56 P 58 blanks on each of 14 sheets 50 

SABIN (Henry). " Organization " vs. " Individuality.'' 29 P 8:9 25 

Salvo (D.) Method of Learning Simnish. 43, 44 C 12.216, $1.20 ; Key. P 12:33 25 

Spanish and English Idiomatic Phrases. 43, 44 C 24:160 75 

Spanish and English Commercial Correspondence. 43, 44 P 12:109 50 

Sauf ord (H. R ) The Word Method in Number . 34, 35 6x3, 45 cards. ... 50 

The Limited Speller. 56 L 16:104 25 

Sayce (A. II.) An Assyrian Grammar. 43 C 12:204 3 00 

Schepmoes (A. E.) Rise of the New York Sch^l System. L 16:32 35 

Schiller (J. C. F. von). Marie Stuart. 43 B 16:163 40 

Die Jungfrau von Oi leans. 43 B 10 : 157 40 

Wilhelm Tell. 43 B 16:165 40 

Der Nefeals Onkel. 43 B 16:72 40 

School Room Classics. 27 P 16:40, each 15 



I. Huntington's Unconscious Tui- 
tion. 
II. Fitch's Art of Questioning. 

III. Kennedy s Philosophy of School 

Discipline, 

IV. Fitch's Art of Securing Atten- 

tion. 
Y. Richardson's Learning and 

Health. 
VI. Meiklejohn's New Education. 
VII. Milton's Tractate of Education. 
VIII. Von Buelow's School Work- 
shop. 



IX. Maudsley's Ses!: in Mind and in 

Education. 
X. Education as Viewed by Think- 
ers. 
XI. Penniman's Practical Sugges- 
tions in School Government. 
XII. Dickinson's Oral Teaching. 

XIII. Tiedemann's Record of Infant 

Life. 

XIV. Butler's Ilace of Comenius in 

Education. 
XV. Hai'ris's Theory of Education. 



Schreber(D. G. R.) Home Exercise for Health and Cure. 37 C 16:91... 50 

Sti»w^s Scholar's Register. 58 P 12:16. Per doz 50 

Shea (George). The Nature and Form of the American Government 

founded in the Christian Religion. C 16:82 75 

Sheldon (Edward A.) Portrait. 63 P 22x28 1 00 

*Sherrlll (J. E.) The Normal Question Book. C 12:405 1 00 

ShirrifF (Emily), t The Kindergarten System-. 23 C 12:200 1 50 

Skinner (Chas. R.) The Arbor Day Manual. 38, 13. 36, C 8:475 2 50 

The New York Question Book. C 8:461. See Nnv York 2 00 

(11) 



Smith <c. F.) Honorary Degrees in American CoUeges. 29 P 8:9. . .- $ 15 

(Edward). Ilistorij of the Schnols of Syracuse. 15 C 8:.347 3 UO 

(Geo. :\I.) Vocabulary to Cmar's Gallic War. 57 C 16:67 50 

(Wm.) Geometry Test Papers 35 P Package of 100, SJ^xlO 1 00. 

Song Budget, rA6. 25Gth Thousand. 60 P s 4:76 15 

Century, The. 107th Thousand. 60 P s 4:87 15 

Patriot, The. 139tli Thousand. 60 P s 4:80 15 

Budget 3Iusic Series, including all the above. 60 C pp. 24.3 50 

Gymnast, The. 60. ;i7 C 16:160 50 

Songs from Arbor Day Manual. 60, 37 M 8:60 25 

of the Lyceum League. 60 L 4:48. 20 

Sonnenschein's Cyclopaedia of Education. 14 C 8:.562 3 75 

Sornberger (S. J ) Normal Language Lessons, 41 B 16:75 50 

Southwick (A. P.) Twenty Dime Question Book', with full answers. 

notes, (iiieries. etc. 59, 57 P 16:40. Each 1ft 



Elementary Series 



3. Physiology. 56 

4. Theory and Practice. 30 

6. U. S. History and Civil Gov't. 48 
10. Algebra. 

13. American Literature. 42 

14. Grammar. 41 

15. Orthography & Etymology. 36,41 

18. Arithmetic. 32 

19. Physical and Political Geog. 45 

20. Reading and I'unctuation. 41 
*The 10 in one book, C $1.00 



Advanced Series. 



1. Physics. .56 

2. General Literature. 4^ 
5. General History. 48 

7. Astronomy. 

8. Mvthologv. 

9. Rhetoric. 41 

11. Botany. 

12. Zoology. 

16. Chemistry. 

17. Geology. 
*The 10 in one book, C Sl.OO 

Extra numbers, edited by C. W. Bardeen, 21. Temperance Physi- 
ology, 56 ; 22. Book-Keeping, 56 ; 23. Letter-Writing, 41. Each.. 10 

Qu'zzism. Quirks and Quibbles from Queer Quarters. P 16:25 — 25 

A Quiz Book of Theory and Practice. 30. C 12:220 1 00 

Spanish and English Correspondence. 43, 44 P 12:109 50 

Spanish Self -Taught (See also Salvo). 43, 44 P 16:84 40 

* t Spencer (Herbert). Education. 24, 14, C 16:331 1 00 

Spinoza (Benedict de). On the Training of the Intellect. 25 12:162... 100 

* Standard Teachers' Library. 13 Includes all those starred. 
Stanley (A. P.) Life of Thomas Arnold. 18 C 16:252 1 00 

Stanton (Th.) The Wo?nan Question in Europe. C 8:496 3 50 

t State Education for the People. 15 C 8:176 1 25 

Steven, t ^Vln.) History of the Edinburgh High School. 15, 28 C 16:590. ... 2 00 
Stewart (Alex). Elements of Gadic Grammar {'iee^lxcAUPn^'E). C 16:200 1 00 

Stilwell (Lamont). Pract'xal Question Book. C 12:400 1 .50 

Stone (Isaac). The Teacher's Examiner. C 12:214 75 

Straight (H. II.) Aspects of Industrial Education. 29 P 8:12 15 

Swedish Conversation Book (See also Lenstkom). 43 C 16:142 75 

Swett (John). Manual of Elocution. 36 C 12:^00 1 .50 

Syllabus of the Regents'' Examinations in U. S. History, for each exam- 
ination. 49, 58P 8:4 05 

TARRINCl (C. J.) Pi^acticai Elementary Turkish Gramm.ar. 43 C 12:214. 2 00 

* t Tate (Thos.) The Philosophy of Education. 14 C 16:400 1 50 

(12) 



Taylor (II L.) Union School Record Carcfs 5x8 inches. Per hundred.. 3*3 00 
* Teacher's Critic, contauiiii.a: hi one voUinie Hughes's Mistakes in 

TeacJdng^ and How to Secxre Attention. C 16:335 1 00 

♦Teacher's Guide to Correct Speech, containing in one volume 
Iloose's Studies in Articulation and Bardeen's Verbal Pitfalls. C 

16:293 1 00 

*t Teacher's Mentor, containing in one vohzme Huntington's Uncon- 
scious Tuition, Buckham's Handbook for Young Teachers, and 
Fitch's Art of Questioning and Art of Securing Attention. 21 C16:274 1 00 
Thimm (F.) Manual of Conversation, in Four Languages. 43 P 16:226. 60 

t The Literature of Germany. 43 C 12:264 1 00 

Thomas (Flavel S.) University Degrees. 29 P 16:40 15 

.1 Dictionary of Univers. fy Degrees. C 16:109 1 00 

Thousand Questions in U. S. History. 48 16 :200 1 00 

Thoughts from Earnest Women. P 16:36 15 

Thring (Edward). Addresses, loith Portrait. C 16:303 1 00 

Thurber (Sani'l). English Routine in Schools. P 16:23 15 

Tiedemaun (D.) Record of Infant Life. 26, 27 P 16:46 15 

Tillingliast ( VVni.) The Diadem of School Songs. 60 B s 4:160 50 

Turkish Self -Taught (See also Tarring). 43 C 12:144 1 25 

UNDKRWOOD (L. M.) Systematic Plant Record. M 4:52 80 

Uiiiforai Kxaniination Paper, for Commissioners. 500 sheets, 3 00 

Examination Questions. See New York. 

VAN WIE (c. B.) Outlines in U. S. History. P 16:40 and map 15 

Devtlopment Helps. 31 L 16:100 50 

Methods in Common Branches. 31 C 16:197 75 

Vincent (.TohnH.) ^ A Study in Pedagogy. C 12:73 75 

Vlachos(A.) Metliod of Learning Modern Greek. 43 C 12:144, $1.25; Key. 25 

WEAVER (E. W.) Pictures in Language Work, 41 C 8:110 50 

WeU-h (Eirima). Intermediate Arithmetic Pivblems. 32 C 16:172 50 

Key to above, C 16:30 50 

Wells (C. 11.) Natural movement Series of Writing Books. 53 Nos. 1, 2, 

per dozen 84 cts. Nos. 3-6, per dozen 96 

Manual of the Movement Method in Writing. 52 P 4:44. Ill 25 

A Lesson on Arm Movement in Writing. P 8:32 25 

(W. II.) The Graded School. 40 C 12:200 100 

Wheatley (Wm. A.) German Declensions Made Easy. 43 P 16:28 15 

Wickersham (J. P.) School Discipline as a Factor in the School-room. 

31L16:50 50 

Wilkin ( Eva). Map Drawing Book of the Continents. 45 B 4:48 75 

Map Drawing Book of the United States. 45 B 4:37 75 

Descriptive Geography taught by tneans of Map Drawing. Teacher's 

Edition. 45B4:129, with 49 Maps 1 50 

•Williams (Geo. A.) Topics and References in American History. 49, 

48, 56 C 16:181 1 00 

(Henry G.) Outlines of Psychology. 25 16:151 75 

(John). Topical Lexicon. A Dictionary of Synonyms. 410 12:384.125 

(S. G.) i History of Modern Education. 16,17 016:481 150 

(13) 



Wilson (J. D.) English Grammar Made Practical. C 16:112 * 35 

Elementary English. 41, 57 L 16:67 75 

Wood (H. A.) Short Cuts in Arithmetic. 33 C 16:149 75 

YAWGER (Rose N.) How to Celebrate Arbor Bay. P 16:14 15 

The Indian and the Pioneer. 13 C 8:335. . $3.00 ; or in Two Volumes, 3 50 

YeArly Class Pegister. 58 L 42 leaves. 8x10 1.50 

Young (\V. T.) The Art of Putting Questions. 26 P 16 :65 15 

Young Folks' Favorite Authors, 52 Cards with Portraits 35 

ZIMMERN ( \ .) + Methods of Education in tlie United States. 15 C2:178. . 1 00 
Zinc-Engraved Portraits. Per 100 1 00 



(1^ 



AUG 231900 



